CdM boys’ volleyball gets even with rival Newport Harbor
Corona del Mar did something only one currently in its boys’ volleyball program has achieved.
It took that individual, playing with an indomitable will to win, to break through for the Sea Kings’ first win over the crosstown rivals in three years.
Senior outside hitter Sterling Foley had 21 kills and 3½ total blocks, sending CdM over host Newport Harbor 25-19, 25-20, 28-26 to begin the back half of the Surf League slate.
“I’m not ending my senior year on a loss to Harbor,” Foley said. “I had to step up, kind of be a captain. The whole team played amazing, sided out really good. We stopped their middles, which we’ve been working on since the last time we faced them, basically.
“I think we were emotionally stable, not a lot of ups and downs, but when we were down, we kind of came back, took a deep breath.”
Third-ranked Corona del Mar (20-5, 3-1) earned its first win over Newport Harbor (22-4, 3-1) since April 20, 2021. Third-year Sea Kings coach Katey Thompson also earned her first coaching win over the Sailors.
Newport Harbor, tied atop the CIF Southern Section Division 1 and 2 combined poll with Los Angeles Loyola (15-1), had extended its winning streak over CdM to eight matches in the first half of league.
Foley’s impact was immeasurable. He flew from the back row to finish points, extinguished laser-like strikes with a team-best nine digs, and he was a rover as a blocker in the front row. The USC commit factored into six blocks, which was matched only by freshman middle blocker Daniel Booker’s six block assists.
“He’s not only one of the best athletes on our team, he’s also the emotional leader,” Thompson said of Foley. “Everyone follows him, and when he’s going 100%, everybody else is going just as hard, so he really sets the standard for our boys. Coming out tonight, he made sure every time the boys knew what we were here for, how we were going to do it.”
The Sea Kings played from in front all evening, but they were pressed in the third set. Newport Harbor outside hitter Riggs Guy (14 kills), headed to UC Santa Barbara, had eight kills and an ace in the extended game.
Booker had a kill that brought CdM to within two points of victory, and when he exited later in the rotation, he engaged the bench and the fans behind it, seemingly thriving in the environment.
“Normally, I’m not good at talking to people, but I guess when I’m playing volleyball, I just get better at it all of a sudden,” said Booker, who teamed up with Everett Welton to provide the match-winning block. “I don’t really know how to explain it.”
Setter Ryan Gant, a Stanford commit, had 31 assists for CdM. UCLA-bound libero Brogan Glenn had eight digs. Middle blocker Reid McMullen added 2½ blocks.
Middle blocker Jack Berry produced nine kills and three blocks for Newport Harbor. Chandler Swanson had five kills, and Jack Von Der Ahe and Charlie Herrington each chipped in with four kills. Grayson Springborn dished out 30 assists.
“They really kind of applied pressure,” Newport Harbor coach Andrew Mabry said of CdM. “In each of those three sets, I think they played from in front. You could see it. They played a very free-flowing, kind of clean game tonight, and we were a little disconnected at times.”
The Surf League is primed to have significant representation in the CIF Open Division playoffs. The section will place eight teams in the top division. The league is rounded out by No. 5 Huntington Beach and No. 6 Edison.
“I think it’s the best league in the country,” Mabry said. “I don’t think that’s debatable, and I think everybody has a chance to win every single night in this league. To go 3-0 in the first half, I thought, from us was really impressive. We never assumed that this was an easy second half of league. Every night is an all-out battle.”
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