Newport Harbor boys’ volleyball tops rival CdM to open Surf League play
With all four of its teams in the top eight of the CIF Southern Section Division 1/2 boys’ volleyball poll, the Surf League is a gauntlet this year to say the least.
No. 2-ranked Newport Harbor, No. 4 Huntington Beach, No. 5 Corona del Mar and No. 7 Edison all contribute to what Sailors coach Andrew Mabry calls probably the toughest league in the country.
Newport Harbor, then, was especially glad to open Surf League play with a big Battle of the Bay road win Friday night.
Senior outside hitter Riggs Guy had 27 kills as the Sailors won 25-23, 25-21, 14-25, 25-22 at Corona del Mar High.
“With only six league matches, every match seems to matter even more, right?” Mabry said. “We’re playing playoff-level matches every single night in our league. So to open with a win, no matter where it is, is huge, and to be able to do it on the road is a big deal.”
Junior middle Jack Berry chipped in 13 kills for the Sailors with just one hitting error, including two kills late in the fourth set when CdM was trying to rally.
“If you look at every set, he had a run in every set that really stabilized us,” Mabry said. “I think that’s ball control, that’s setting, and then Jack doing his job and having really good vision moving around.”
Newport Harbor (17-3), which has won two straight Division 1 titles, toughed out the first set even after Corona del Mar (13-4) led for most of it. From 20-20 in the second set, the Sailors pulled away again, helped by two service aces by senior Chandler Swanson.
CdM, led by 22 kills from senior outside Sterling Foley, responded in set three to keep the match alive. The Sea Kings also rallied late in set four, as an 8-2 run capped by a kill from senior Everett Welton pulled the hosts within 23-21, prompting a timeout by Mabry.
But Berry responded with a quick set kill to set up match point, then ended it two points later. Senior setter Grayson Springborn chipped in 50 assists and five digs for the winners.
“At that point in the match, the energy was just high on both sides,” Mabry said. “CdM was scrambling, they were playing great in transition, running balls down. I just said, ‘Let’s settle down, relax. We’ve got an opportunity to finish here, we’ve got to find our groove a little bit.’”
Foley rolled his ankle midway through the first set for CdM, though he was able to finish the match.
“He was definitely limited in what he was capable of doing, but he still produced quite a bit for us,” CdM coach Katey Thompson said. “He definitely overcame that adversity.”
Welton had eight kills and fellow senior Reid McMullen chipped in six kills for the Sea Kings, who also got stellar play in the middle from 6-foot-8 freshman Daniel Booker.
“It’s a really fast game out there, definitely a big jump,” Thompson said. “He played 15s this year, now he’s up with 18s, with kids that have the ability to start in college next year. He’s doing a really great job for us, working hard, and we’re going to continue to see that growth.”
Corona del Mar hosts Edison on Wednesday in continued league action, while Nepwort Harbor hosts Huntington Beach. Huntington Beach started league on Friday night with a four-set win over Edison.
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