PREP NOTES

The Newport Harbor girls’ volleyball team sorely missed outside hitter Tara Kroesch, a Times all-county player last year, at the Orange County Championships.

Kroesch, who injured ligaments in her left knee during a summer match, decided to bypass surgery and undergo therapy with Tim Brown, a Newport Beach chiropractor.

Kroesch, a 5-11 senior who’s one of the top college recruits in the county, was fitted for a brace and returned to the lineup last Thursday, recording 10 kills in her debut against Irvine and helping the Sailors to a third-place finish at the Redondo Union tournament.