SOUTHERN SECTION VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS : Capistrano Valley Beats Odds and Laguna Beach

From the start of the volleyball match between Laguna Beach and Capistrano Valley Tuesday in the second round of the Southern Section 4-A playoffs, it was apparent the Artists were in for a fight.

It didn’t matter that Laguna Beach had home-court advantage and had swept Capistrano Valley earlier in the season. The Cougars wouldn’t be denied as they upset Laguna Beach, 15-13, 15-10, 7-15, 15-10, in a two-hour match.

Capistrano Valley (16-2) will play top-seeded Newport Harbor (16-1) in a third-round match Friday night.

After overcoming a sluggish start, Laguna Beach (17-3) fought back from a 10-1 deficit in the first game to tie the score at 13. But a kill by Steve Thornton and a long return by the Artists gave the Cougars the game.

“We played a lot better than last time,” said Capistrano Valley Coach Ken Goldstone, who has coached the Cougars the past five years. “This is a different team. . . . We just played more aggressively.”

Outside hitter Aaron Garcia, a 6-3 junior, sparked Capistrano Valley with a match-high 27 kills and six blocks. It was Garcia’s kill in the second game that brought the Cougars to match point.

Laguna Beach’s Eric Fegraus and Kevin Karg were factors in the third game, but Garcia and the Cougars wouldn’t back down in the fourth and deciding game.

The Artists tied the fourth game at 9-9 when a Cougar player sent the ball into the net. Capistrano Valley took an 11-9 lead and was two points from match point when Laguna Beach scored on Kevin Karg’s kill to make it 13-10.

After trading sideouts, Capistrano Valley moved ahead, 14-10. The Artists got their last sideout, only to surrender it on Eric Seiffert’s kill. Fegraus returned the ball long to end the match.