CdM girls’ volleyball outlasts Newport Harbor in ‘perfect ending’
When Kirsten Dauderman fell to the floor after her match-winning service ace Thursday night, it seemed as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
The Corona del Mar High libero was mobbed by her teammates, all but one on court for the decisive point playing in their final Battle of the Bay girls’ volleyball match.
A senior-laden CdM squad staved off match point, eking out a 25-14, 22-25, 25-20, 22-25, 16-14 win over visiting Newport Harbor to complete a home-and-home sweep of the rivalry series this season.
“I was just like in shock,” said Dauderman, who had 29 digs and four aces. “I did not believe that that happened because I missed my serve on game point last time we played them. It was a perfect ending. I was so happy and excited.”
After beginning their careers with a lost season in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, CdM’s seniors had not enjoyed a win over their crosstown rivals until five weeks ago, when the Sea Kings earned another five-set victory Sept. 7 at Newport Harbor (15-15).
That preceded an undefeated run through the Wave League for CdM (17-10), which now looks ahead to the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs. The section will release its girls’ volleyball playoff pairings on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Opposite Lauren Esquino said she felt the season is already a success. She added that the Sea Kings want to advance as far as they can in the postseason, and learning how to play in close games could contribute to that cause.
“I think we just learned to play more together as a team and not break apart into our little groups when we were having our little moments of not doing as well,” said Esquino, who compiled 19 kills and four block assists.
Corona del Mar is 3-2 in five-set matches this year. Two have come in a span of eight days, including the league-clinching result at Fountain Valley.
“I think after winning [the] Queen’s [Court Tournament], after winning league, and after beating [the Sailors] twice in the Battle of the Bay, that’s all I can ask for,” said outside hitter Reiley Murphy, who had 20 kills, 19 digs and three aces. “I’m really happy to end this way because it was a rough start.”
Setter Eva Link distributed 61 assists to go with 10 digs for CdM. Middle blocker Hailey Shaw had five kills and 2½ blocks. Freshman outside hitter Sofia Dajnowiec, the only underclassman to start for the Sea Kings, paced the team with 24 kills. Paige Carrillo, another senior, had three aces off the bench.
A comparatively younger Newport Harbor saw freshman outside hitters Ella Olson (24 kills) and Vladimira Kotzakov (19 kills) make major contributions on the pins.
Senior setter Drue Coberly handed out 40 assists, and senior libero Fiona Gaffney helped keep points alive on defense. Junior opposite Jordan Surber added five kills and four block assists.
Newport Harbor also received a boost from the service line from its reserves. Ava Christiano chipped in with three aces, and Talea Berry and Zoe Schulman each had two aces.
“We’ve got a lot of youth on this team,” Newport Harbor coach Andrew Mabry said. “We’re playing against some of the best teams every night in [the Sunset] Conference and all year long, and I think we’re getting better. We’re excited about the possibility of being an at-large in the playoffs and hopeful that we can get in and keep growing.”
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