Newport Harbor girls’ volleyball closes out Orange Lutheran in opener
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Newport Harbor started another girls’ volleyball season with a veteran, star-studded squad.
At times dominant in their season opener, the Sailors gained more valuable experience against an opponent that refused to go gently.
Texas-bound outside hitter Ella Olson bounced her 20th kill off the hardwood, clinching a 25-15, 24-26, 25-14, 25-23 victory for Harbor over Orange Lutheran on Tuesday at home.
After failing to close out the second set with a 19-12 lead — and eventually five consecutive set points from 24-19 — the ability to finish out the match in a tight fourth set was an encouraging sign for Harbor coach Pat Eaton.
“Just trying to learn, man,” Eaton said of holding onto a timeout as the Lancers mounted their comeback in the second set. “We’re trying to figure out how we can do it on our own. You’d like to think with 11 seniors that we could figure it out, but we’re trying to figure it out.
“It’s the first match of the season, and I’ve always kind of come from where you want the kids to be put in those spots early and see if they can find a way
“You saw, with the way we reacted in Game 4, that I think we were better because of that. We’ve got to learn how to kind of fight through those moments on our own a little bit, and I’ve got a good group of seniors that, like every high school kid, sometimes we go in and out of staying focused or playing at our highest level, and we’re trying to figure out how to be consistent. What better way than to get bit?”
Setter Marley Robinson, committed to Oregon for beach volleyball, and Addy Underwood played pivotal roles in the Lancers’ second-set rally. Robinson erased two set points with kills on the second touch, before Underwood, a sophomore, powered through three kills from the left pin.
Late in the fourth set, Robinson’s positional counterpart Kinsley LaBonty delivered her only two service aces of the match, turning a 22-22 deadlock into two match points. Olson, who also contributed seven aces and 2½ total blocks, converted the second.
“We want to set a winning standard for our team,” Olson said. “I think we did that tonight, and I feel good about it.”
LaBonty accumulated 44 assists, working primarily through outside hitters Vladimira Kotzakov (17 kills) and Olson. Pepperdine-bound middle blocker Morgan Starkenburg had seven kills and four block assists, and opposite Kayden Clousing picked up five kills.
Motivation is high for the Sailors, who want to make a run with their senior corps after suffering a first-round defeat in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs to Manhattan Beach Mira Costa last fall.
“I just think that we really want to win this year,” Kotzakov said. “There’s 11 seniors, so obviously, every single senior is going to make the other players play well.”
Indiana-committed pin hitter Piper Coady, nursing a finger injury, handled libero duties in the opener, although both Coady and Eaton confirmed that is not considered a long-term plan.
“We were hoping she would be able to play on the left tonight, and it just didn’t happen,” Eaton said. “I thought she did a great job, kind of playing in a different role and picking up the slack for us.”
Robinson distributed 39 assists to go with five kills and two aces for Orange Lutheran, which last year lost a five-set quarterfinal to Division 2 runner-up Valencia West Ranch.
Underwood had a team-high 19 kills for the Lancers, and opposite Blake Perry added nine kills. Middle blockers Ruby Candlish and Juliet Funa finished with three blocks and 1½ blocks, respectively.
“I think our middles shine in their blocking category,” Orange Lutheran coach Henry Valiente said. “They were in the right spots today. I think they got some big blocks on some big hitters on the other side.”
