Oilers Beat Sailors in Five Games

For the first time this season, the top-ranked Huntington Beach girls’ volleyball team was pushed to five games. But the threat of a loss was really never that dire because the Oilers breezed through the final two games of the nonleague match at Newport Harbor High.

Huntington Beach defeated seventh-ranked Newport Harbor, 9-15, 15-12, 12-15, 15-4, 15-4.

The victory for the Oilers (5-0) also assuaged the pain of last season’s quarterfinal loss in the same gym in the Southern Section Division I playoffs. The Oilers were top-seeded in the tournament and top-ranked in the nation when the Sailors knocked them out of the playoffs.

“The girls wanted to play this game, definitely,” Huntington Beach Coach Rocky Ciarelli said.

At 1-1 in games, Newport Harbor jumped to an 8-2 lead in the critical third game. But then Oiler middle blocker Julie Hinsche got involved. Hinsche had five kills and aided on two blocks to help the Oilers tie it, 11-11.

Tied again, 12-12, however, the Oilers committed three hitting errors to give up three more points and the game.

But Newport didn’t get much closer than that. Huntington Beach took a 4-0 lead in the fourth game and an 8-0 lead in the fifth game and never looked back.

“They didn’t panic, that’s the sign of a good team,” Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn said.

Hinsche had 17 kills, Dana Atkinson had 16 and Lauren Wilson 14 for the Oilers.

Beth Waterman led Newport Harbor (1-2) with 19 kills. Melissa Snow had 17.