Corona del Mar Discovers Plenty in Semifinal Victory

Corona del Mar boys’ volleyball Coach Steve Conti might have found another outside hitter Wednesday night when sophomore Kevin Hansen helped the Sea Kings advance to the Southern Section Division III final with a 15-5, 15-10, 15-5 victory over Encino Crespi at Newport Harbor High.

Conti decided to juggle his lineup a bit and discovered that Hansen, the team’s setter, is pretty good at hitting too.

Conti moved senior Greg Burden to the right side and used Hansen on the outside. Hansen had nine kills, including one on match point, and 46 assists.

“We decided to try something on a whim and it worked for us,” Conti said.

Hansen was obviously enjoying himself in Game 3. After giving Corona del Mar (13-5) an 8-4 lead on a cross-court kill, Hansen turned with a big grin and shrugged at his teammates.

“We were just kind of mixing things up tonight,” Hansen said. “It was fun, because I got to hit the ball. I really had a good time.”

The Sea Kings were dominant up front. Outside hitter Greg Stampley and middle blocker Greg Coon led a balanced attack that wore out Crespi. Stampley and Coon each finished with 15 kills. Burden had 11 kills, 24 digs and three blocks. Dennis Alshuler had 10 kills and four blocks and Coon had a team-high eight blocks. Mike Jackson had 11 digs, five kills and three blocks.

“Corona del Mar has too much firepower,” Crespi Coach Alvin Lamarre said. “They are very solid and have great ball control. They were a lot better than they looked on tape.”

Corona del Mar will face three-time defending champion Santa Ynez at 1 p.m. Saturday at Cypress College for the section title.