PREP VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS : Corona del Mar Tops St. Joseph to Set Up Rematch in 5-A Final

The Corona del Mar High School girls’ volleyball team hasn’t had too many tough matches this year, but the Sea Kings learned how to struggle in a four-game victory over Lakewood St. Joseph in the Southern Section 5-A semifinals Thursday night.

And Sea King Coach Dale Flickinger was glad they did.

Lara Carlsen and Tracy Schriber each had 19 kills as the Sea Kings rallied in the fourth game for a 15-3, 15-13, 13-15, 15-11 victory at Newport Harbor High School.

Corona del Mar (23-1) advanced to Saturday’s championship game against Mira Costa, which defeated El Toro in the other semifinal. Mira Costa defeated Corona del Mar in last year’s 5-A final.

Flickinger said the semifinal victory was a good tuneup for the final.

“The last thing we wanted to do was go to the finals winning (several 3-0 matches),” Flickinger said. “We needed to prove to ourselves that we can play under pressure.”

And the Sea Kings had plenty of opportunities to do so, putting themselves in a few sticky situations in all but the first game.

They rallied from an 11-6 deficit to win the second game, blew a 13-10 lead in the third game and trailed, 7-6, in the fourth game.

Carlsen had three kills and Schriber two to get the Sea Kings out of trouble in the fourth game.

Charmayne Conley came off the bench with three of her six kills to spark a 9-2 rally in the second game.

“Charmayne really bailed us out in that second game,” Flickinger said. “We should have lost the second game, but we came back and won. And we should have won the third game, but lost.”

Corona del Mar, winner of 21 consecutive matches, now gets a chance to avenge last year’s loss to Mira Costa.

“We really want to play Mira Costa,” setter Prentice Perkins said. “This will be a chance for us to redeem ourselves.”

Eileen Bermundo had 13 kills to lead St. Joseph (16-1).