Sailors Fall in Volleyball Final

Cerritos Valley Christian is dwarfed by Newport Harbor when it comes to enrollment, but the Crusaders certainly stand tall on the volleyball court.

In the finals of Dave Mohs Memorial Volleyball Championship Monday, Valley Christian reached new heights by defeating Newport Harbor, 12-15, 15-12, 15-11, at Edison High.

Valley Christian is the top-ranked in Division IV-A, but when compared to Newport Harbor’s No. 1 ranking in Division I-AA, the Crusaders looked like an easy target for the Sailors.

But Valley Christian rallied from a six-point deficit in the second game then held off a late run by Newport Harbor in the third to earn the upset. Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn said the Crusaders may come from a lower division, but there’s nothing small about their game.

“Divisions don’t really matter,” Glenn said. “You get six good girls at a small school and you’ve got a good team, so I don’t really look at it like that. I have a lot of respect for them, they won state last year and they have a good shot at winning it this year.”

Valley Christian benefits from a tall front line, which includes 6-foot-2 middle blockers Jennifer Fopma and Stacy Rouwenhorst, and 6-foot-1 outside hitter Susie Boogaard. Rouwenhorst created most of the offense for the Crusaders and finished with a match-high 20 kills.

Newport Harbor looked intimidating after scoring the first six points of the opening game. The Sailors then took a 12-7 lead, but Valley Christian landed two consecutive aces and later tied the score, 12-12, on Sarah Boogaard’s block against April Ross. Newport Harbor was finally able to pull away and win on Kathy Lavold’s block.

Newport Harbor built another six-point lead early in the second game, but Valley Christian rallied to tie the score, 8-8, and then move ahead, 13-10. Fopma took advantage of an overpass to score an easy kill and give Valley Christian game point, and Sarah Boogaard and Rouwenhorst stuffed Ross to win the game.

Valley Christian got up on Newport Harbor, 9-4, in the third game, then fought back a late charge by the Sailors, who cut the lead to 13-10 on a kill by Sarah Boogaard. But Valley Christian got to match point on a kill by Heather Storey, then won it on Sarah Boogaard’s off-speed kill that was dug wide by Ross.