Youth Is Already Serving at Corona del Mar : Volleyball: Team has come together more quickly than expected and faces second-seeded Edison tonight in a 4-A quarterfinal match.

Charlie Brande looked at the Corona del Mar High School boys’ volleyball roster last March and wondered what was left of his defending Southern Section 4-A championship team.

There wasn’t much.

It didn’t take all of Brande’s 15 years of coaching experience for him to understand that the Sea Kings were in for a rough season.

They lost their top nine players from last year’s team, and they were so young--only three seniors--that their roster looked like a junior varsity team.

Corona del Mar opened with losses to Marina and Huntington Beach. The Sea Kings blew a two-games-to-one lead to Marina and were swept by Huntington Beach.

“We’ve come a long way since then,” Brande said. “A long way.”

The Sea Kings have won their second consecutive Sea View League title and have reached the quarterfinals of the Southern Section 4-A tournament, where they will meet Edison at 7:30 tonight at the Corona del Mar gym.

It will be the first meeting this season between Edison, 15-1 and ranked second in 4-A, and Corona del Mar, 10-5 and ranked seventh.

Edison Coach Brian Rofer said he wished he knew more about his team’s opponent.

“I’m kind of at a loss for words,” he said. “I never thought we would meet them at this point of the season. I think maybe I should have paid more attention to them.”

Rofer’s not the only one surprised by the Sea Kings’ success.

After an 0-2 start, Brande has blended a winning formula from a lineup of five sophomores, three juniors and three seniors.

“There have been times this year when we have had a senior, a junior and four sophomores on the court,” Brande said. “I thought we could be competitive by the end of the year. I thought it would take some time.

“The younger kids are athletes and they’ve been involved with a winning basketball team. That makes for a competitive atmosphere.”

Included in that group of all-around athletes are Matt Herrington, Matt Cwiertnia, Chris Pliha and Ty Price, an all-Southern Section selection at quarterback.

Carter Reece, a senior and one of only two returning varsity players, said Brande has “handled this year’s team with the same maturity as last year.”

“We had a lot of winners last year,” Reece said. “He had time to groom those guys into the perfect team. He’s had to do the same with us in only a year.”

Brande said this year’s team needed time to mature.

“All the sophomores are the fighters. It’s tough for a sophomore, or someone like Jon Upham, who’s new, to lead.”

Upham, a 6-foot-5 junior, is playing his first season of volleyball. He and sophomore outside hitter Doug Hesse played for the Sea Kings’ basketball team, which reached the Southern Section 3-A championship game. They both made the all-Sea View League second team.

“I had to teach the game to Jon because he hadn’t played until 2 1/2 months ago,” Brande said. “For the coaches to put him on the all-league team has shown how far he has come.”

But it has been the consistent play of seniors Reece, Clark Brogger and Steve Olsen that has given the younger and inexperienced players time to develop. All three players were first-team all-Sea View League selections.

Reece, a 6-5 middle blocker who will attend UC Santa Barbara, averages 15 kills a match and was the league’s most valuable player.

“I always kid him that he’s a middle hitter instead of a blocker,” Brande said. “Against University earlier this year, he had 15 kills in only 19 attempts. As he goes, we go.”

Olsen, a 6-foot setter, averaged 30 set assists a match.

“Steve’s been in our program for a number of years,” Brande said. “He was our serving specialist last year and he has a good idea of what was happening. I figured by the time the (Southern Section) tournament came around, he would be a pretty good setter.”

Brogger, a 6-2 outside hitter, averages 11 kills a game. Brande said Brogger’s all-around game is one of the main reasons why the Sea Kings are contenders.

“The thing Clark does is pass 75% of our balls,” Brande said. “To put it subtly, that’s where you win. He’s our team captain and he keeps us together.”

Reece said he, Olsen and Brogger weren’t used to the leadership roles. He and Olsen were reserves last year and Brogger was on the junior varsity.

“We had to learn to take charge,” Reece said. “Last year we weren’t in charge of anything. I played behind (Jason) Perkins (who started on USC’s national championship team this year) and Pliha. Last year I was all talk. This year I’m actually doing it.”

Reece and Brande say the Sea Kings’ record is deceptive. Their five losses have been to top 10 teams--Marina, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Woodbridge and Newport Harbor.

Edison, meanwhile, has defeated Marina, Huntington Beach and Newport Harbor.

“How they match up to us will determine the outcome,” Rofer said. “They’re not a real big team and they’re young. We’re playing with a lot of composure right now. We start five seniors and I think our size can come into play.”

Brande said the Sea Kings are wary of Edison’s Karl Van Reusen, a middle blocker who is known for intimidating opponents with finger-pointing and verbal taunts as well as his powerful hitting.

“I think his being out of control helps us,” Brande said. “Our kids don’t like him.”

Reece said Edison is “a loud team.”

“They talk a lot and that will fire us up,” he said. “It’s not our style to talk under the net.”

But Brande doesn’t expect to put a stoic group of players on the court Friday night.

“If we play with a lot of emotion and intensity, we can give them a good match,” Brande said. “We’re lucky it’s at our place. Those three seniors looking at this as possibly their last match might be enough motivation for us.”