Huntington Beach Advances With Ease

Wanted: Group of girls capable of challenging the Huntington Beach volleyball team in the state Division II tournament.

Bring own kneepads. Helmets, optional.

With a 15-13, 15-9, 15-9 victory over Westlake Village Westlake Tuesday at Huntington Beach High, the Oilers advanced to the state Division II final in convincing style.

In seven playoff matches this season, the Oilers have dropped only one game--in the Southern Section Division II-AA final, when they defeated Santa Barbara in four games.

The Oilers will play Napa (34-1) at 5 p.m. Saturday in the state final at Cal State Fullerton.

Huntington Beach (23-2) expected to be challenged by Westlake (18-4) and rose to the occasion but then encountered little resistance.

The problem for the Warriors was the same old story--key any one Oiler and another one will start hammering at you.

The Oiler du jour on Tuesday was Lori Daedelow, who had six kills, two blocks and two key aces in the first game to get Huntington Beach rolling.

“To me, she’s an amazing athlete and she’s kind of overlooked on this team,” Huntington Beach co-Coach Rocky Ciarelli said. “I think they kind of came into it with a game plan [of], ‘Let’s leave her alone’, and you can’t do that.”

Daedelow had two kills and her two aces to spark the Oilers to a 7-2 lead in the first game. Westlake came back to within 11-10, but then gave up two consecutive points on hitting errors.

Westlake closed to within one point again, 13-12, but Julie Hinsche served an ace to bring up game point. Westlake scored one more point on a kill by Courtney Miller before Dana Atkinson won it with an ace.

Leading 10-9 in the second game, Hinsche had a kill for a sideout, then smacked an overpass for a point to give the Oilers momentum. Atkinson had three kills to help the Oilers on a 3-0 run to bring up game point.

Warrior Coach Chris Rundle cost her team the game when she dawdled while making a substitution and was charged with delay of game, an automatic timeout. The Warriors, however, had none left, so the official awarded the Warriors a red card, which gave Huntington Beach game point.

Westlake jumped to a 6-2 lead in the third game, but Oiler Lauren Wilson served nine consecutive points to give Huntington Beach an 11-6 lead that the Warriors could not overcome.

“I thought our girls played great. I’m so proud of them,” Rundle said. “This should be the [state] finals because Southern California is the power in volleyball.”

In Division I:

Bakersfield Centennial 3, Laguna Beach 0--Carolyn Kittel had 33 assists for visiting Laguna Beach, which lost, 16-14, 15-9, 15-8. Cammie DeGeus had nine kills and Kelly Garner had eight for the Artists, who finished 25-3.

In Division IV:

Calvary Chapel 3, Bakersfield Garces 1--After dropping the first game, 10-15, Calvary Chapel picked it up with aggressive defense and serving and won the next three games, 15-8, 15-11, 15-9.

Jill Overby had 19 kills and five aces to lead the Eagles and teammate Whitney Hoover had 45 assists. Stephanie Mihal had 13 kills to lead Bakersfield Garces (18-6). Calvary Chapel is 21-7.