Newcomer Now Is Strong, Silent Leader on Court : Volleyball: A second-year starter and one of only two seniors, she keeps Sea Kings on an even keel.

Lori Newcomer’s senior year with the Corona del Mar High volleyball team has no doubt been memorable.

At least so far.

There have been close matches and blowouts. The Sea Kings won the Orange County Championships in September. They won the Divers Sports Challenge tournament in Chicago, a victory that vaulted them to the nation’s top ranking.

But, as Newcomer is quick to point out, some of the season highlights have come away from the court.

Such as the Chicago tournament Oct. 2-3, when the Sea Kings played at the Divers Sports Center, the former site of the Illinois state mental hospital. Corona del Mar players were housed at the sports center along with several other teams.

During spare time between matches, Newcomer led a contingent of Sea King players--Allison Englebrecht, Kim Coleman and Kelly Campbell--exploring the center’s dark, spooky underground tunnels.

“We went rummaging through all kinds of stuff,” Newcomer said. “We found some psychology books, pharmaceutical papers, paintings.”

Coleman, one of the team’s top players as well as screamers, kept everyone on their toes.

“Kim really freaked,” Newcomer said. “She can really scream.”

A mental hospital is one of the last places you would expect to find the nation’s top-ranked volleyball players. But Sea King Coach Lance Stewart thought it was fitting for this group.

“It was the perfect place for us,” he said. “We saw a padded room, some tunnels. I was hoping not to run into any old relatives.”

Newcomer and Stewart agree the team’s loose sense of humor has been a big part of its strong start this season.

Coming off a disappointing 13-8 season, the Sea Kings are off to an 11-0 start entering tonight’s match with Sea View League rival Newport Harbor.

“We expected to do a lot better last season,” Newcomer said. “It was sort of disappointing, and the seniors didn’t like it. The seniors are the ones who pull the team together. When the seniors aren’t having fun, the rest of the team isn’t.”

Newcomer, a 5-8 outside hitter, and Englebrecht, a 5-10 middle blocker, are the only seniors in a lineup dominated by an outstanding junior class.

The Sea Kings’ starting lineup features six players with Division I college potential, including juniors Coleman, setter Kristin Campbell and hitter Jennifer Stroffe.

As is tradition with the Sea Kings, the juniors often turn to the seniors for leadership. And Newcomer, a second-year starter, has become a quiet, steady leader.

A solid all-around player, Newcomer leads the team in digs (82) and is among the leaders in aces (14) and kills (91).

“Lori really doesn’t have a weakness in her game,” Stewart said. “She’s not dominant at any one thing. She’s not spectacular out there. And she’s not emotional, either, which I think is a good thing.”

Stewart often compares Newcomer’s all-around skills to Rachel Wacholder, a player he coached two years ago at Laguna Beach who was The Times’ county player of the year last season.

“Rachel and Lori played together at Orange County (Volleyball club) and they’re the best of friends,” Stewart said. “They play alike, too.”

Although she’s not a major recruit among West Coast colleges, Newcomer has attracted some attention from solid programs such as Michigan, Duke, Virginia and Alabama.

“She can definitely go on and play at a Division I school,” Stewart said. “And I think she’ll make a good beach player down the road. She has all the skills. She has a quick jump, and is a steady attacker.”

With the end of the league season less than two weeks away, Newcomer and her teammates are beginning to think about the playoffs, where they have lofty standards to live up to.

Two years ago, Corona del Mar lost only one match--to La Habra in the semifinals of the Orange County Championships--on the way to the State Division I title and a No. 2 ranking in the nation.

But this year’s team could top that performance with an undefeated season and a No. 1 national ranking.

“We would love to go undefeated,” Newcomer said, “but I don’t know if we can keep it going. We have to come down sometime.”