Boys volleyball: Tars face balanced Mira Costa

Barry Faulkner

REDONDO BEACH - Newport Harbor High boys volleyball coach Dan Glenn

believes tonight’s CIF Southern Section Division I semifinal opponent

can’t rival the Sailors last two victims, San Clemente or top-seeded

Marina, for marquee talent.

However, Mira Costa (22-6), which hosts tonight’s 7 o’clock showdown at

Redondo Union High, has something perhaps even more dangerous than a

6-foot-6 Division I-bound outside hitter -- tremendous heart.

The Manhattan Beach-based Mustangs, under Coach Mike Cook, in his 29th

season on the bench, put this determination on display in their five-game

quarterfinal upset of No. 4-seeded Loyola.

The Bay League champions erased a 10-5 deficit in the fourth game and

trailed, 10-3 and 14-11, in the fifth, but battled to a 9-15, 15-7, 9-15,

16-14, 16-14 triumph which Cook later ranked among his biggest victories

ever.

The Sailors (16-5), on the other hand, showed substantial character of

their own, rallying for a 7-15, 13-15, 17-15, 15-12, 15-9 upset of

top-seeded Marina in Friday’s quarterfinal.

Friday’s win, keyed by 43 Billy Clayton kills and 88 assists from senior

setter Kent Turner, marked the third time this season the Tars have

toppled the No. 1-ranked team in the Southern Section.

Newport, in fact, knocked Mira Costa from the top spot with a 15-13,

15-12, 15-13 nonleague sweep at home March 24. Harbor also defeated Sea

View rival and league co-champion Irvine when the Vaqueros were ranked

No. 1.

“Watching the tape (of Mira Costa-Loyola), I think (the Mustangs) are

real similar to us,” Glenn said. “They’re a good solid team, which gives

us a little different approach than we’ve had the last two matches. They

don’t have anyone as good as (San Clemente’s UCLA-bound Gray) Garrett or

(Marina’s high flying Jeff) Wooton. But I think their fourth, fifth and

sixth players are stronger.”

Mira Costa’s strength is outside hitter Jason Spratt, who collected 11 of

his team-leading 32 kills in the fifth game against Loyola. Spratt had a

team-high 12 kills in the first match against Newport.”

Harbor’s strength is clearly Clayton, a 6-foot-5 Stanford-bound senior

outside hitter who pummeled 43 kills against Marina.

But Turner, whose improved leadership at setter Glenn credited as one

reason for the Tars’ postseason success, has also found hitting weapons

in senior middle blocker Dustin Illingworth, junior Blake Tippett,

sophomore Brian Gaeta and senior Adam Tomalas.

Harbor, the defending Division I champion, will need to continue to

refine its game to advance to its sixth CIF title match, scheduled

Saturday at Cypress College.

“I think we still make too many unforced errors,” said Glenn, who has led

the Sailors to two of their three section crowns and four of their five

title-match appearances. “But we’re improving. Our schedule has helped

prepare us and we’re getting contributions from all 12 guys.”

Brad Craig (now out with an ankle injury), Jimmy Sanders, Christian

Berg-Hansen, Lloyd Wright, Greg Perrine and Erik Peterson have also found

the spotlight during the playoffs for Harbor.

Mira Costa, which won section crowns in 1990 and 1984, lost two other

times in the finals, in 1989 to Corona del Mar and 1987 to Harbor.

Tonight’s winner will face either No. 3-seeded Corona del Mar or Santa

Margarita in Saturday’s title match.