Sailors host Liberty tonight

Barry Faulkner

Newport Harbor High, with a tradition of girls volleyball success

that has spanned four decades, entertains a program in its third

varsity season tonight at 7 in the Southern California Regional final

of the CIF State Division II championships.

But Liberty High of Bakersfield, already with three Central

Section titles to its credit, is not without some impressive history

of its own, including a 30-4 record padded by a 10-15, 15-12, 15-10,

15-17, 15-12 regional semifinal triumph at Mater Dei Saturday night.

Coach Lean Slayton’s Patriots lost in the first round of the state

playoffs the last two seasons, including a 15-7, 15-3, 14-16, 15-3

setback against visiting Newport Harbor last season.

Coach Dan Glenn’s Sailors, the reigning Southern Section Division

II-AA champions and the top seed in the regionals, boast a 28-6

record, including Saturday’s 12-15, 15-9, 15-7, 8-15, 15-12 home

victory over South Torrance. The Tars have won seven section crowns

and four state titles.

Glenn believes No. 3-seeded Liberty, paced by 6-foot Loyola

Marymount-bound senior middle blocker Jania Motton and 5-11 Cal State

Bakersfield-bound senior outside hitter Jodi Harden, will present a

tall order for his shorter Sailors.

“(The Patriots’) size presents a problem, because besides (6-3

senior middle Kristin McClune), we’re not very big on the wings,”

Glenn said. “We’re going to have to be aggressive and win the long

rallies. (Liberty) has veteran players who have won on the road in

the playoffs, so I expect them to be very comfortable and confident.

And I’m sure they have a chip on their shoulder since we knocked them

out last year.”

Glenn’s Sailors had swept five straight postseason matches, before

being pushed to the limit by South Torrance.

“That was kind of like ‘Welcome to the state playoffs,’ ” Glenn

said of Saturday’s five-gamer, in which the Sailors trailed, 6-2 and

9-8, before prevailing in the decisive rally scoring game.

McClune, bound for Pepperdine and the Sailors’ consistent kill

leader all season, pounded 26 kills against South Torrance. Lauren

Miller, a 5-11 junior outside hitter and 5-8 junior opposite Alyson

Jennings, a three-year varsity standout, have also been solid

contributors for the Sailors this season.

Motton amassed 33 kills, while Harden posted a career-high 29

against Mater Dei, a match in which junior setter Katie Scott

produced a career-high 89 assists.

Though blessed with size at the net -- Brooke Henry, a 5-11 junior

middle, and Bethany Rawley, a 5-10 outside hitter, are also among the

team’s five returning starters -- Slayton said defense was the

difference against Mater Dei.

“We’ve really turned our defense around recently,” said Slayton,

formerly an assistant for eight seasons at Bakersfield-based

Centennial High, which won CIF Division I state crowns in 1995 and

‘96. “There’s no way we’d be here without our defense.”

Playing “here” is preferable to “there,” from Glenn’s perspective,

though Slayton said her players, all veterans of club play, are

accustomed to the long commute to Orange County.

“We like being the underdog and we like being on the road,”

Slayton said. “They’re used to getting up at 4 a.m. to travel to

weekend club tournaments.”

Senior Whitney George as well as juniors Kellie King and Emily

Turner round out Newport Harbor’s starting lineup, while 5-11 senior

middle Shelley Langford and junior Elizabeth Clayton have provided

depth.

Tonight’s winner will meet either Los Gatos or Pleasant Valley in

the championship match Saturday at 5 p.m. at Cypress College.