SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS : 4-A VOLLEYBALL : Newport Harbor Rallies to Reach Semifinals

Newport Harbor’s volleyball team endured a three-hour, five-minute match Friday night and outlasted Capistrano Valley.

Justin McIntee had 33 kills and Fran Griffo added 25 as the top-seeded Sailors defeated the unseeded Cougars, 9-15, 15-11, 14-16, 15-13, 15-5, in a Southern Section 4-A quarterfinal match at Newport Harbor.

The Sailors (17-1), the 4-A runner-up last season, advance to the semifinals Wednesday against Santa Barbara, a three-game winner over fourth-seeded Palos Verdes Peninsula.

“This was a great win for us,” Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn said. “It was a real fun match to watch.”

But not to play.

Capistrano Valley (16-3) played part of the fourth and most of the fifth games without its leading hitter, Aaron Garcia, who suffered leg cramps. Garcia , who had a team-high 27 kills, missed the final five points of the fourth game and returned only briefly at the start of the fifth.

With Garcia reduced to the role of a spectator, Newport Harbor stormed to an 8-4 lead in the fifth game, capitalizing on four Capistrano Valley hitting errors. The Cougars had eight hitting errors in the last game.

McIntee and Griffo led a balanced Sailor attack. Mark McAnlis had 23 kills and Mitch McCoy added 15 for the Sailors. Setter Russ Gan had 82 assists.

With the score tied at one game apiece, Newport Harbor rallied from an 11-3 deficit in the third game to tie it, 14-14. But a kill by Lawson and a hitting error by McIntee gave the Cougars the game.

And the momentum.

Capistrano Valley raced to a 7-1 lead in the fourth game, but again Newport Harbor came back to tie it, 10-10. Garcia began cramping at that point and left the game.

The Cougars were tough without him, tying it, 13-13, until a kill by McIntee and an ace by Eric Vallely forced the fifth game.

“Even though we lost the game and we were down, 7-1, these kids seem to play better with their backs to the wall,” Glenn said.

Garcia started the fifth game, but left with Capistrano Valley leading, 2-0. Newport Harbor scored 15 of the next 16 points to win the match.