Marina Still Enjoys the Road

Marina’s wild ride through its first girls’ volleyball state tournament continued with its second consecutive upset on the road Saturday.

Marina beat top-seeded Newport Harbor in the Division I state tournament quarterfinals, winning the fifth game, 16-14, to end a thrilling 2 1/2-hour match.

Lindsay Phillips had 24 kills and 32 digs and Chanda McLeod had 25 kills for Marina, which won, 15-9, 11-15, 6-15, 15-10, 16-14, at Newport Harbor.

Marina (20-2) advanced to Tuesday’s regional final to play at second-seeded Poway, which defeated Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, 15-5, 6-15, 11-15, 16-14, 15-10. Newport Harbor ended 21-3.

“Hats off to the girls for this one,” Marina Coach Darrick Lucero said. “Tonight we got tested by one of the best programs there is. We just outlasted them.”

Junior setter Ashlee Phillips had 54 assists and six blocks, Katie Keating had 14 kills and 20 digs, and Julie Renfrow had eight kills and 18 digs for Marina.

The Vikings advanced only after Newport Harbor’s April Ross hit a spike inches wide on Marina’s fourth match point, sparking a celebratory dog pile, usually reserved for title victories.

Marina celebrated its first section volleyball title in school history last Saturday when it upset Mater Dei, then the top-ranked team in the state.

But Marina’s reward was two road matches for the first two rounds of the state tournament and the Vikings will play a third Tuesday.

But that doesn’t bother Lucero.

“The more we go on the road the more we have to be together, the more we stick together,” Lucero said.

And facing a 13-0 deficit in Game 3, Marina stuck together. Marina forced Newport Harbor to struggle a bit to win the third game, 15-6, and the Vikings built on that and forced a fifth game when Lindsay Phillips put away an overpass at the net to close out Game 4, 15-10.

In Game 5, Lindsay Phillips notched four consecutive kills to help Marina move ahead, 13-5, but Newport Harbor didn’t fold.

Ross, a sophomore who had 12 kills and 22 digs, served for seven consecutive points with sophomore Krista Dill notching two of her nine blocks in the run that made it 13-12.

Marina made it 14-12 then Newport Harbor junior Kathy Lavold (11 kills, three blocks) erased one match point with a block and junior setter Jennifer Carey (28 assists, 25 digs, seven kills, four blocks) served an ace to make it 14-13.

Erica Wade’s block pulled Newport Harbor even, 14-14, but McLeod and Phillips combined for three kills to set up the final match point.