Briefs: Taylor heads to UCSB

Corona del Mar High senior middle blocker Britton Taylor has committed to play for the UC Santa Barbara women’s volleyball program, said Charlie Brande, Taylor’s coach with the Orange County Volleyball Club.

Taylor led the Sea Kings to the CIF Southern Section Division 1A championship match and their sixth straight Pacific Coast League title.

The Sea Kings finished 32-5, 10-0 in league.

Taylor earned a share of the Pacific Coast League MVP and All-CIF Southern Section Division 1A, first-team All-Orange County and Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Dream Team honors.

Taylor finished with 303 kills and 57 blocks. She helped Corona del Mar defeat rival Newport Harbor in the Battle of the Bay match for the second straight season.

— From staff reports

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Polo stars win title

Seven local boys’ water polo standouts helped the Southern Pacific Red team win a USA Water Polo 2012 Olympic Development Program regional championship March 4 in Clovis.

SoPac Red captured the 12th grade-and-under division with a 14-9 victory over the Coastal (Los Angeles) Red team.

Two locals earned all-tournament team accolades for SoPac Red. Mater Dei High junior center Jon Walters, a Newport Beach resident, was named the top player in the tournament. UCLA-bound Mater Dei senior Anthony Daboub, a Corona del Mar resident, was also on the all-tournament team.

Other locals on the winning squad included Cal-bound Newport Harbor senior Farrel South, Newport junior Dan Stevens, Harvard-bound Corona del Mar High senior Ben Zepfel, CdM junior Reid Chase and Mater Dei sophomore James Walters.

Additionally, a SoPac White team finished fourth out of the 12 teams in the tournament. That team featured Pepperdine-bound senior goalie Koby Yokota and junior Curtis Fink of Newport Harbor, as well as Corona del Mar juniors Jake Wyatt and Jack Harryman.

The Southern Pacific zone has won the tournament four straight times.

Seventy players from the tournament will participate in the national selection camp over Memorial Day weekend.

— Matt Szabo

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Local girls win CIF

Newport Beach residents helped the St. Margaret’s girls’ soccer team win the CIF Southern Section Division 6 title March 2 at Mission Viejo High, defeating top-seeded Hemet, 6-5, in penalty kicks.

Third-seeded St. Margaret’s (18-4-5) won its second straight CIF title.

Five Newport Beach residents were on the team, including Stanford-bound senior forward Katie Donahue, the 2011 CIF Division 6 Player of the Year; Pomona College-bound all-CIF defender Natalie Barbaresi; sophomore sweeper Alexa Barbaresi; freshman forward Emma Morris; and freshman forward Angelika Robertson.

The teams played to a 1-1 tie through regulation and were scoreless in overtime. But St. Margaret’s scored on all six shots in the shootout, with Alexa Barbaresi being the second shooter.

Donahue, who also plays for the Newport Beach-based Slammers FC, converted the sixth and winning goal.

It was a great way to end her standout high school career and help the Tartans go back-to-back.

— From staff reports