Section Champions Help North to Victory

Although it wasn’t pretty, players from Southern Section Division I champion Esperanza helped the North rally to a 21-24, 24-22, 24-18 victory in the Orange County boys’ volleyball all-star match Friday at Newport Harbor High.

Esperanza’s Jon Alleman, who led the Aztecs to their first Division I title last week, earned most valuable player honors in the rally-scoring match.

“It’s always nice to win,” Alleman said.

All-Star matches aren’t usually too heated, but Esperanza’s Kyle Anderson took offense to the enthusiasm of Dana Hills’ Jim Polster after he blocked for two consecutive points in the final game.

After the blocks, Anderson pointed to the scoreboard, which showed the North leading Game 3, 19-16, then he got his revenge by spiking for the North’s final side out before blocking Polster at match point.

The boys’ match was filled with errors but it did have its moments. Polster, who is 6 feet 5 and will play at Long Beach State next season, and Woodbridge’s 6-7 middle blocker Jared Dannis, took advantage of a shorter North squad to help the South win the first game.

But the North rallied to win a tight second game after Esperanza’s Dan Harrington spiked for a point at 23-22, then San Clemente’s Chris Sebourn netted a spike attempt at game point.

In the third game, Polster had two blocks to help the South pull to within 19-16, but 11 various hitting and passing errors in the final game cost the South the match.

The girls played with more precision, and the South used a potent middle attack led by MVP Cathy Cook of Irvine and Joanna Fielder of Newport Harbor to rally for a 17-24, 24-21, 24-20 victory.

Cook had 14 kills, Fielder had six kills and three blocks and Santa Margarita’s Shannon Redfern added eight kills and two blocks for the South.

The North won the first game behind the steady play of Century’s Allison Napier (nine kills, three blocks), who will play at Arizona next season, and Huntington Beach’s Dana Atkinson (seven kills). Napier closed out the game with two kills and a block.

Although Cook and Fielder did some damage in the middle, the South also got help in its rally from the outside from Capistrano Valley’s Adrienne Shimmel and Redfern. The North fought off four game points before Roxanne Stumpf of Valencia (two blocks) spiked into the net.

In Game 3, Cook and Fielder teamed for nine kills and three blocks, and the North finally succumbed when Troy’s Annie Sand hit a spike attempt long on match point.

ORANGE COUNTY ALL-STAR MATCHES

Boys

North d. South, 21-24, 24-22, 24-18

KILL LEADERS--N: Alleman 5, Anderson 5, Hoppe 5; S: Dannis 8, Thurlow 7, Polster 7.

Girls

South d. North, 17-24, 24-21, 24-20

KILL LEADERS--N: Carter 9, Napier 9, Atkinson 7; S: Cook 14, Redfern 8, Fielder 6.