Boys’ Volleball: CdM earns quiet win against Laguna Beach

Corona del Mar High’s gym seemed a bit quiet on Wednesday night. That’s usually not the case when the Sea Kings play against Laguna Beach in boys’ volleyball.

The match’s announcer, Gary Almquist, proved to be the loudest amid all the action between the rivals. There have been far more heated and intense matches between CdM and Laguna.

Still there were a few entertaining rallies. Also CdM played at an elite level at times, yet Coach Steve Conti wasn’t totally pleased with the energy during his team’s 25-18, 16-25, 25-19, 25-19 nonleague win.

“Energy-wise we were pretty flat and quiet tonight,” Conti said of his team (5-3) that’s tied for No. 10 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 rankings. “It seems like we’ve been better at practice. I wish we could play a little bit like that. The energy is better. [Against Laguna Beach] we were playing with a little bit more weight on our shoulders than we have. We should be playing loose. I don’t know if they feel some sense of pressure. I think we played tight sometimes. We played quiet.”

Conti said he liked that sophomore Kevin Kobrine played with an aggressive style against the Breakers, who dropped to 0-4. Sophomore outside hitter Brandon Browning was also among a handful of CdM players who continue to step up during the absence of senior standout Matt Ctvrtlik.

Ctvrtlik is out with a sprained right ankle, suffered during the basketball season, and hasn’t played a match this season. The Sea Kings finished tied for 15th with Servite in the Best of the West tournament this past weekend. They did their best to bounce back against Laguna Beach.

Senior Will Hunter led CdM with 12 kills.

Browning added nine kills on 19 attempts with no errors. He also had one solo block, three block assists, six digs and one ace. Kobrine had six kills on 11 attempts with no errors. Junior Mitch Haly contributed five kills and six block assists.

Sophomore Patrick Paragas recorded 13 assists and senior Shane Gooding had 11 assists for CdM.

The Sea Kings started strong in the first set. They went on a 6-1 run to grab a 12-7 lead and establish control. Gooding delivered two aces during the spurt.

Laguna Beach responded in the second set, opening with a 3-0 lead. Pete Obradovich, a junior standout, led the Breakers. He finished with 16 kills.

Darren Utterback, Laguna Beach’s coach, said that junior Cole Paxson, who had 14 digs, also played well for the Breakers. Obradovich and Paxson must continue to be leaders for the young team, Utterback said.

Laguna Beach was without senior starter Tyler Alter, the team’s “best offensive weapon,” Utterback, said because he tweaked his ankle while trying to jump over a bush on his way to practice this week.

Utterback hopes Alter can play some matches during the one-day Dos Pueblos tournament at UC Santa Barbara on Saturday.

Laguna Beach will need him next week for sure when it opens Orange Coast League play. The Breakers, who have won 68 straight league matches, play at Costa Mesa on March 24. The Mustangs feature senior Mason Tufuga, bound for Stanford.

CdM will compete in the Orange County Championships that begin on Friday.