DIVISION II GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL REGIONAL : Edison Sleepwalks but Wins Its Opener

Edison, appearing in the State tournament for only the second time in school history, should have been psyched up for its match against Bakersfield North Tuesday at Edison High.

But the fourth-seeded Chargers lost the first game before plodding their way to a 6-15, 15-6, 15-3, 15-8 victory in a Southern California Regional Division II first-round match.

“We were asleep out there,” Edison Coach Dave Mohs said. “We were terrible. We kept asking them if they wanted to play or go home, anything . . . we got no answers.”

Shelby Clemens had 11 kills and Kari Hogancamp had six kills and 14 digs for the Chargers in the error-filled match. Despite the sluggish performance, Edison advanced to the second round to play at Huntington Beach on Saturday. The Oilers defeated Escondido San Pasqual in three games Tuesday.

Huntington Beach received the top seeding for the division although Edison (20-3) won the Sunset League and the Oilers finished second. The teams split their two league matches, but Edison was ranked higher in the final State Coaches Poll (seventh); Huntington Beach was ranked 10th.

The odd seedings could have distracted the Chargers, or they might have experienced problems trying to bounce back from Thursday’s four-game loss to Newport Harbor in the Southern Section Division I semifinals.

“North was off, too, tonight, but they had a three-hour bus ride down here,” Mohs said. “(North Coach Vicky Van Campen) said that was their worst match of the year.”

But Amanda Smith got the Stars (16-10) off to a fast start, posting six of her 11 kills in Game 1. North took a 10-6 lead before three service aces helped close out Game 1, 15-6.

“We were looking at some balls like they were grenades,” Mohs said.

Mohs implored his team to get back into the match, mentally and physically, and the Chargers got the message.

Middle blocker Kelli Liniger, setter Jill Butts and Hogancamp each had two blocks in Game 2, sparking the Charger defense. Back-row specialist Heather Dubay served eight consecutive points to give Edison a 12-2 lead, then a kill by Jennifer Porterfield closed out the game, 15-6.

North’s sloppy play continued in Game 3, helping Edison score the first 10 points before a service winner by Clemens gave the Chargers the game, 15-3. Edison took a 7-1 lead in Game 4, then won the final three points of the match off North errors.

“I don’t know if we were looking past North toward a rematch with Huntington Beach,” Mohs said. “But it’s a ‘W.’ ”

In another Division II match:

Huntington Beach 3, Escondido San Pasqual 0--Melissa Wendt had 16 kills to lead top-seeded Huntington Beach (17-4) to a 15-8, 15-2, 15-12 victory.