Huntington Beach Can’t Keep Marina From Avenging Loss

Marina avenged a three-game Sunset League loss to Huntington Beach by sweeping the Oilers, 15-12, 15-12, 15-13, in a Southern Section Division I second-round playoff match Tuesday at Huntington Beach.

Sophomore Jeff Wootton had 22 kills, 21 digs and five blocks for Marina, which won its first Sunset League title in 10 years this season. But the Vikings were swept by the Oilers the last time they visited Huntington Beach in the regular season.

Marina (15-5) advanced to the quarterfinals and will host top-seeded Newport Harbor, which defeated Fountain Valley.

Although Huntington Beach (10-12) didn’t win a game Tuesday, the match was a little closer than the score indicated.

After Marina won the first game, Huntington Beach took a 9-4 lead in the second game. Although Matt Wendt had seven of his 15 kills in the second game, the Oilers couldn’t close out the game.

In the third game, Huntington Beach got as close as 11-10 and 14-13, but Marina had an answer for every Oiler run.

“If we made a couple of key plays, we could have easily won this match,” Huntington Beach Coach Rocky Ciarelli said. “But it was Marina that made those good plays when they needed to.”

In the second game Wootton and middle blocker Scott Austin (17 kills) helped Marina score 10 of 11 points to erase a five-point deficit and put Marina in control again, 14-10.

Huntington Beach erased four game points, but Marina put the game away when Robert Kijewski (11 kills) spiked for a kill on an overpass to make it, 15-12.

In the third game, senior setter Jeremy Blain had 25 of his 68 assists for the Vikings, who responded when Huntington Beach pulled to within one point twice in the final game.

With a 14-13 lead, Marina’s Kijewski ended Huntington Beach’s season by spiking off the block from the left side.

“We’re getting better,” Marina Coach Darrick Lucero said, “and we’re close to playing our best at the right time of the year.”

In other Division I games:

Newport Harbor 3, Fountain Valley 0--Ty Tramblie had 45 assists and 15 digs, and Scott Archbold added 14 kills for top-seeded Newport Harbor (19-0), which won, 15-8, 15-12, 15-7. Visiting Fountain Valley ended 9-7.

Santa Margarita 3, Arcadia 0--Marcus Skacel had 24 kills and Matt Zierhut added 18 in the 15-8, 15-7, 15-11 victory for the visiting Eagles (15-3). Third-seeded Santa Margarita advanced to play the La Crescenta Crescenta Valley-Upland winner.

Laguna Beach 3, Palos Verdes Peninsula 0--Aidan Leedom had 16 kills and eight blocks and Miles McGann had 15 kills and nine blocks for host Laguna Beach (16-2), which won, 15-13, 15-9, 15-12.

Second-seeded Laguna Beach advanced to play the Los Angeles Loyola-Santa Monica winner.