Newport Harbor Girls Knock Out Laguna Beach

Newport Harbor wasn’t even among the top 10 girls’ volleyball teams in the Division I-AA preseason rankings, but the Sailors advanced to the division final with a 15-12, 15-10, 15-10 victory over Laguna Beach Tuesday night at Newport Harbor.

Newport Harbor will play top-seeded Manhattan Beach Mira Costa for the championship.

The Sailors (19-2) took advantage of their height, with April Ross (6 feet), Kathy Lavold (6-2), Krista Dill (6-2), and Jennifer Carey (6-0) wearing down the Artists’ ball-control offense.

“Laguna Beach’s game is to keep the ball in play, but our height has been an advantage all year,” Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn said. “The thing you can’t teach is height.”

Laguna Beach (16-5) used its pinpoint service game to take an early 9-5 lead in the opening game. But Newport Harbor snatched it back, 10-9, on Lavold’s kill off an overpass. Laguna Beach never led again.

The second-seeded Sailors ran off nine consecutive points to make it 14-9, then finished the game on Erica Wade’s service ace.

Newport Harbor kept the momentum in the second game, moving to a 9-1 lead on a service ace by Laura Wells. The Artists went through two rotations before Newport Harbor scored another point to make it 11-6, then the Sailors ended the second game on a Laguna Beach ball-handling error.