Boys volleyball: The longest day

Joseph Boo

HUNTINGTON BEACH - What a way to spend a Saturday.

Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor High’s boys volleyball team arrived at

Marina early Saturday morning to start another day in the Orange County

Championships. Eight and a half hours later, CdM lost in the silver

division championships to Fountain Valley, 15-10, 15-11 in the last match

of the day.

In between, the Sea Kings and Sailors combined for seven

best-out-of-three matches, 15 games and 16 hours of tournament play in a

day that was as endless as the song, “American Pie.”

In an impressive performance, Fountain Valley took out both CdM and

Newport Harbor in one and a half hours. After knocking the Sailors out of

the tournament, 15-10, 15-12, the Barons immediately started their fourth

match of the day against CdM.

The Sea Kings (9-5 including tournament matches), without an injured Alec

Hanson, were also playing their fourth match, although they had a short

break before facing Fountain Valley (6-3). But whatever advantage CdM

might have had in terms of energy dissipated quickly. After a 3-1

deficit, Fountain Valley went ahead, 8-6, and held CdM off.

CdM got big kills from Greg Stampley and Kevin Hansen, as well as hustle

plays from Chris Shepherdson and John Grod. But the Barons, who lost to

the Sea Kings in their season opener, used their height to give CdM few

openings.

“I don’t know how much fatigue effected us,” CdM Coach Steve Conti said,

“but (Fountain Valley) was terrific.”

Newport (10-5), who went 3-2 in the tournament, lost to the Barons in the

silver division semifinals and looked ragged in the process. The Sailors

led, 12-9, in the second game, behind some important points from Dustin

Illingworth. But the Barons scored six unanswered points to take the

match.

In their first match of the day and final one in pool play, the Sailors

beat Mater Dei in an epic three-game match, 13-15, 16-14, 15-12.

Newport’s trio of Billy Clayton, Brian Gaeta and Blake Tippett eventually

put the Monarchs away, getting over 20 kills each. But that match took a

toll on the Tars.

“We were just tired,” Newport Coach Dan Glenn said. “We had a long match

with Mater Dei. They didn’t win the rest of their matches, so it wore

both of us down.”

After the Mater Dei match, Newport lost to San Clemente in the first

round, 15-13, 15-3, losing the second game in 20 minutes.

As Glenn said, a weary Mater Dei failed to win a game for the rest of the

day, losing to Huntington Beach and CdM. Mater Dei’s last energetic

moment came in its silver division second-round match with CdM. In the

second game, the Monarchs willed themselves to an 8-4 lead. But

Stampley’s spikes were too much and the Monarchs committed too many

errors as CdM won, 15-9, 15-9.

In its final match in pool play, CdM lost to Marina, 15-5, 15-10. The Sea

Kings then lost in the first round to Irvine, 15-8, 16-14. CdM finish the

tournament 4-2.

“(Friday), we were a great tournament team,” Conti said. “(Saturday), we

were a lousy tournament team. This team has more ups and downs then the

Dow Jones. We have to play a lot better as the season goes on.”

It was the second time CdM lost to Irvine this season, dropping a

preseason match to the Vaqueros. With Irvine up 10-5 in the second game

and ready to put CdM away, the Sea Kings went on a big run and took a

14-12 lead. Hansen was the catalyst, coming up with some big kills, three

blocks and a solid serve that led to a point. But after a sideout, Irvine

got consecutive successful spikes and two blocks to end the match.