Los Alamitos handles CdM

HUNTINGTON BEACH — Next to his heart, Corona del Mar High Coach Darryl Gan hugged another runner-up plaque.

When asked why he held it so close, Gan smiled. Second-place has been a common theme for the second -year girls’ volleyball coach at CdM.

Things didn’t change Monday night.

The Sea Kings tried to reach the top by taking the opening game of the Dave Mohs Memorial Tournament Division I championship. The next two games belonged to Los Alamitos and so did the best best-of-three match.

The Griffins rallied for a 23-25, 25-15, 15-6 victory at Edison High, putting the Sea Kings in their place.

Los Alamitos returned to a familiar spot at the prestigious tournament in Orange County. The Griffins claimed the gold bracket for the second time in three years.

Last year, Los Alamitos didn’t get a shot to defend its title because it competed at the Durango Invitational in Las Vegas.

The closest the Sea Kings (7-2) got to being the first team to knock off Los Alamitos (12-0) this season was one game. As he has seen before, earlier this month in the final at the Queen’s Court Tournament in Lake Forest and last November in the championship at the CIF Southern Section Division II-AA playoffs in Cypress, Gan’s team again fell short.

“For us, it’s a privilege to play Los Al,” Gan said of the program ranked No. 1 in the Division I-AA coaches’ poll. “We never really get [to play the Griffins]. [My players] were excited and they were looking forward to it. We thought what we were going to get [was] a battle.

“Even though we won the first game, played pretty solid, we knew that Los Al wasn’t going away.”

The Griffins stormed back against the Sea Kings, ranked No. 2 in Division II-AA.

Outside hitter Jane Croson and middle blocker Emily Hartong each finished with 10 kills to lead Los Alamitos. At the end of the first game, the Griffins began to show signs why they’re one the state’s upper-echelon teams.

Three times Los Alamitos tied the score until senior outside hitter Sydney Brombal recorded four of her six kills late to propel CdM in Game 1.

One of the tallest players on Los Alamitos’ side threw her arms in the air, looking surprised and for answers. The smaller school gained the momentum, and one of the smaller players, CdM setter Madie Smith, played a vital role.

Los Alamitos Coach Dave Huber saw his team in this predicament before in the three-day tournament.

“We’ve been down the whole tournament,” Huber said. “[We] found ourselves out of position, then maybe trying to be a little bit too perfect passing the ball, and we made a couple of tentative errors that we shouldn’t make.”

Instead of waiting until late in a game to battle back, Los Alamitos tied it at 9-9 in Game 2. Great serving by Alijah Gunsaulus disrupted the Sea Kings’ attack.

Gunsaulus dropped in an ace, part of a 6-0 run, putting Los Alamitos ahead and in control. When the lead grew to 16-10, Gan called for a timeout.

Gan and co-coach Jim Downey discussed what went wrong, the passing game and two service errors. Against a team the caliber of Los Alamitos, Downey said you at least have to put the ball in play.

Five more points is how many CdM mustered the rest of the way in the second game. The Sea Kings surpassed that total in the decisive game.

By the time CdM reached six, Los Alamitos had match point. The first to 15 won the title. Croson finished the Sea Kings off with a kill, leaving CdM to wonder how first feels.

“It’s funny to think that this is our preseason,” said Gan, whose team beat powers Santa Margarita and Orange Lutheran Saturday to reach the final. “We’re just gearing up for our season. So far we have accomplished everything that we’ve wanted to accomplish.”

A championship may come soon. Gan’s heart is aching for one.