SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISION I VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP : Newport Harbor Youngsters Come Through

The Newport Harbor girls’ volleyball team proved in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section Division I playoffs Tuesday night that youth is sometimes better than experience.

The Sailors, starting five sophomores and a freshman, didn’t panic after a first-game blowout and then kept their poise down the stretch to earn a 2-15, 15-11, 12-15, 15-11, 15-8 victory over visiting Los Angeles Notre Dame.

The victory earns Newport Harbor (18-4) a match in the semifinals Thursday against Laguna Beach (19-1) at a site to be determined today.

Notre Dame (15-2) opened the match with an easy 15-2 victory in the first game, but later Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn said he was confident his team could play with the division’s second-seeded team.

“We can play with Corona del Mar, and they’re the best team in the CIF (Southern Section), so I’m sure we can play with anybody,” he said. “We had lost to Corona del Mar, 15-2, in a first game, so this was nothing new.”

Newport Harbor rebounded with a 15-11 victory in the second game, stumbled in the third and lost, 15-12, but rallied to win the fourth and fifth games against the team from the all-girls’ Catholic school, which started five seniors and a junior.

Newport Harbor’s sensational sophomore hitter, Misty May, had 27 kills and four aces. Teammate Melissa Schutz added 16 kills and 15 blocks.

In another Division I match:

Corona del Mar 3, Manhattan Beach Mira Costa 0--Lori Newcomer had 13 kills as the top-seeded Sea Kings, also top-ranked in the nation, swept unseeded Mira Costa, 15-4, 15-7, 17-15. Corona del Mar will play fourth-seeded Santa Barbara in Thursday’s semifinals at a site to be determined.