Boys’ volleyball: Newport looking like top-seeded team it is

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

They’ve jammed into the gym at Newport Harbor High like sardines with barely enough room for the little things to breathe. For those that can get air, the action has been breathtaking. So basically, nobody can breathe.

Top-seeded Newport Harbor (30-3), which hasn’t lost a five-game match all season, won the first game over fourth-seeded Santa Margarita, 25-22, as SM’s Tanner Jansen hit long on the final point.

Santa Margarita (5-32) is in the playoffs only because the Trinity League allowed the team in as a representative in the playoffs. The Eagles were penalized for using an illegal player -- it was an administrative error -- so they had to forfeit all but two victories. The player has since been cleared, and Santa Margarita has shown that league officials made sure a deserving playoff team wasn’t left out.

Deserving or not, Santa Margarita wasn’t able to break through in the second game, either. Tied at 19-19, Newport Harbor pulled away for a 25-20 victory. The Sailors have so much talent, and it’s unfair to have a 6-foot-8 wunderkind like Kyle Caldwell in the lineup.

-- Martin Henderson