Corona del Mar Proves as Good as Its Reputation

Though he had never coached against the Corona del Mar boys’ volleyball team, Village Christian Coach Bill Schnobrich still had a good idea about the Sea Kings.

“We know what they’re all about,” Schnobrich said before his No. 1-seeded Crusaders met Corona del Mar in a Southern Section Division IV semifinal Wednesday at Glendale College. “They’re all about winning titles.”

The Sea Kings (15-5) are now one match away from winning their second consecutive Southern Section title after dealing Village Christian its first loss of the season, 15-13, 15-9, 15-13.

The Sea Kings’ Brian Gallagher had one of his better matches of the season, according to Corona del Mar Coach Steve Conti, slamming down 16 kills as the Sea Kings dispatched the Crusaders in 90 minutes.

Forrest Mack had a match-high 17 kills for Corona del Mar and Charlie Alshuler contributed 13, helping to finish off a portion of Evan Burden’s 44 assists.

“It’s unbelievable,” Gallagher said about reaching the final against Santa Ynez. “All the seniors have been working so hard for so long to get here. We’re exactly where we want to be.”

Corona del Mar, the Pacific Coast League co-champions, dominated in Game 2 after grabbing momentum from its win in the first game.

Though the Sea Kings committed 15 errors in Game 1, they took control in the closing moments. Trailing 11-8, they answered with a 7-2 run which included three Burden-Gallagher, assist-kill combinations.

Corona del Mar had leads of 5-0, and 11-3 in Game 2 before Village Christian made a mini-comeback that fell short when Burden set up Gallagher to end that game as well.

The Sea Kings and Santa Ynez will play for the Division IV title Saturday at Cypress College.

In another Division IV match:

Santa Ynez d. Northwood, 15-8, 10-15, 15-2, 15-8--Northwood rallied from a 9-5 deficit to win the second game, but the Timberwolves lost their momentum in Game 3 as Santa Ynez took advantage of its size at the net.

Brandon Mel had 25 kills for Northwood, Ky Fell had 11 and Matt Susson had 53 assists.

In Division II:

Manhattan Beach Mira Costa d. Foothill, 15-3, 15-3, 15-12--This type of a challenge demanded near-perfect execution from the underdog, and Foothill was far from that in the first game, closer in the next two games, but not close enough. The Knights fell in three games to top-seeded Mira Costa at Villa Park High.

“We just started off a little nervous and we were a little gun-shy,” said Foothill Coach Scott Bruce. “The second game we shook off the cobwebs, but that first game might have dictated the match.”

The Knights (15-2) took a 2-0 lead in the first game, but everything went downhill from there as the Mustangs (28-0) closed with a 15-1 run, sparked by 6-9 middle blocker Pat Nihipali’s two blocks and two kills for points.

The Mustangs looked as if they would make quick work of the Knights in the second game when they opened up a 4-0 lead, with two points coming off back-to-back service aces by Ryan Paul.

But Foothill, led by the hitting of Matt Daniels (15 kills) and Craig Astor’s blocking, slowly worked its way back. After tying the score, 12-12, a block for point by setter Gio Altamura (63 assists) put Mira Costa back on top to stay. Jason Spratt’s block on the fourth match point gave the Mustangs a two-game lead.

The hustle and scrappy play that characterized Foothill’s play in the second game carried over into the third as the Knights took a 9-4 lead.

The Mustangs responded with a 9-1 run for a 13-10 lead. Foothill pulled to within 13-12, but a net violation and a passing error on a Ryan McKenzie serve ended the match.

“We’re just able to clutch it out against real good competition,” Mira Costa Coach Michael Cook said. “Foothill is the finest defensive team we’ve played all year. We knew that coming in, and they came as advertised.”