Carey Is Good, and She’s Getting Better

When you look at Jennifer Carey’s ability, athleticism and credentials, it’s easy to understand how she’s helped Newport Harbor to the top of the Orange County girls’ volleyball rankings.

Carey, a 6-foot junior setter who was the Sea View League’s co-most valuable player last season, has helped the Sailors climb to the No. 3 ranking in the county and the top ranking in the Southern Section Division I-AA poll.

But what’s scarier for opponents is that Newport Harbor, which has no seniors in its starting lineup, might just be scratching the surface of its potential, just like Carey.

“It’s too early to say if Jennifer is one of the best players I’ve ever coached here,” said Dan Glenn, who’s in his 12th year at Newport Harbor’s helm. “She has a lot of volleyball ahead of her here.

“Jennifer works real hard and she will get a lot better. She’s big, she moves real well and her setting, blocking and defense have all improved from last season. But she still can improve a ton.”

Carey is pretty good right now.

Six-foot setters aren’t common in girls’ volleyball, and Carey combines her size and strength with agility and a feel for the game.

“And she has a good attitude,” Glenn said. “Our passing hasn’t been real consistent and she’s been running down a lot of bad balls and turning them into good sets. That’s what good setters can do.”

Carey honed her all-around game playing on the beach. In fact, that’s where her parents, Becky and George, met.

George Carey coaches the Irvine Valley College women’s team and has coached at Concordia University and Capistrano Valley Christian and Laguna Beach high schools. He also is the founder and director of the Saddleback Valley Club, where Jennifer also plays.

“I grew up with volleyball around all the time,” Jennifer said. “I love playing on the beach.”

She also grew up playing the indoor game, learning more about work ethic and teamwork.

“Everyone on this team is willing to work hard,” she said. “There are no attitude problems here and everyone is focused on just winning for the team.”

And that attitude has paid dividends for Newport Harbor. The Sailors (6-1, 3-0 in league) reached the semifinals of the Orange County Championships and were third at the prestigious Las Vegas Durango tournament. Newport Harbor hasn’t dropped a best-of-five match since losing to Huntington Beach Sept. 16.

“That Huntington Beach match was a turning point for us,” Carey said. “We had that match. But we came away from that one thinking, ‘We should have beaten them. We’re good and we shouldn’t back down from anyone.’ ”

Said Glenn: “Sure, we’ve won some big matches since that one, and a lot of that is that we’ve done some good things at the right times. The thing that has me excited with this team is that the potential is there and these kids work real hard.”

And Carey is their leader.

“Everyone looks at me to set the example, even if it’s just in practice drills,” she said. “I think people thought that this would be a young team and we might be down, but we’ve surprised some people.”

One big reason is the emergence of sophomore outside hitter April Ross. Others showing promise are sophomore outside hitters Brenda Waterman and Lisa Addeo and sophomore middle blocker Krista Dill, who is 6-1, and 6-2 junior Cathy Lavold.

“The younger kids are stepping up and they’re playing just as well as anyone,” Carey said.

Well enough for Carey to set her sights on bringing a section title back to Newport Harbor, which has won three titles, the last one coming in 1994.

“It’s been awhile since Newport won one,” Carey said. “There’s such a rich tradition in volleyball here. We want to win league and I think a CIF title is within our reach.

“It’s time.”