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Sailors sweep Chargers

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HUNTINGTON BEACH — Dan Glenn said he has a hard time keeping track of the past, even though he’s a history teacher.

One thing he is aware of is there aren’t many high schools that can claim they have beaten his Newport Harbor girls’ volleyball team four times in a season.

Edison pulled off the feat last season during Glenn’s 26th year as coach of the Sailors.

The two schools met for the first time this season on Thursday. Maybe it was once or twice that Glenn said he talked to his team beforehand about how it went 0-4 against Edison last year.

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“You know me,” Glenn said with a smile. “I don’t forget that.”

The Sailors used their record against the Chargers as motivation and it worked. The result was a 25-19, 25-12, 27-25 sweep for Newport Harbor on the road.

Glenn called the Sunset League opener the biggest match of the year for his Sailors. They’re off to a good start as they easily knocked off Edison, which shared the league title with Los Alamitos last year.

“You lose this one, it just kind of puts you in a [tough spot],” said Glenn, whose team placed third in league last season. “Huntington [Beach] is really good. Los Al is obviously really good. These [Chargers are really good]. Marina and Fountain Valley, if you play a bad match, you’re going to lose there. That’s what makes the Sunset League fun, though.”

Getting their first league victory against Edison in two years was enjoyable for the Sailors (11-4, 1-0 in league), ranked No. 7 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1-AA poll.

Carolyn Bockrath led the way for Newport Harbor with 16 kills and Tristen Thompson contributed 12 kills and seven digs. This was their second trip to Edison since Saturday, when the Chargers played host to the Dave Mohs Orange County Championships.

In the top division, the Sailors faced Redondo Union in the quarterfinals. They lost to the top-ranked team in Division 1-AA, which went on to win the tournament.

Newport Harbor now gets to play the No. 2 team in the division on Saturday at 7 p.m. The opponent is a familiar one, Corona del Mar, and the contest is for Back Bay bragging rights.

The Sailors will try to end a two-match losing streak in the annual Battle of the Bay rivalry when they travel to CdM. In the way is a big team, which at the start of the year Glenn said was the best in the state when healthy.

“We’re playing the land of the trees on Saturday,” said Glenn of the Sea Kings, who like the Sailors last season reached a section championship match, CdM in Division 1-A and Newport Harbor in Division 1-AA. “They got a bunch of girls that can terminate.

“I’m excited to play it. Obviously, it’s the city championship. This year is a little different. I [used to] always tell [my players] that it’s the only time we’re going to see them, and now they’re in our division for the playoffs, so I [can’t] really say that. It’s early in the year. I [schedule it] that [way] because our league is so tough. I can’t play a team like that at the end.”

david.carrillo@latimes.com

Twitter: @DCPenaloza

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