PREP VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP : Newport Harbor Avenges Loss to No. 3 Woodbridge
In 11 years as head basketball coach at Woodbridge High School, Bill Shannon has never been thrown out of a game. But while attending his first boys’ volleyball match as an assistant coach this season, Shannon received a red card and an ejection in the second game of Friday’s match.
Shannon’s early exit set the tone for a match filled with emotional highs and lows, and seventh-ranked Newport Harbor (9-3, 5-1 in league) upset third-ranked Woodbridge (10-2, 5-1), 15-12, 12-15, 15-10, 2-15, 15-12, at Newport Harbor High School.
“I don’t know why he threw me out,†Shannon said. “It’s no big deal, and it had nothing to do with the outcome of the match. So (after the ejection) I just went to dinner and watched the Dodger game.â€
Woodbridge head Coach Rich Polk finished the match.
The Sailors used a balanced attack, led by Justin McIntee and Beau Sheward, who each had 19 kills, to avenge a four-game loss to Woodbridge earlier this season.
“Both teams are pretty even,†Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn said. “I thought we beat them in the middle tonight, and that’s where McIntee and Frank Griffo (14 kills) played great.
“You have to attack Woodbridge in the middle,†Glenn said, “because they have one of the best high school blocking tandems on the right side in (Todd) Beebe and (Ryan) Rauch.â€
Rauch, Beebe and Brad Gilbert’s blocking sparked the Warriors’ 15-2 victory in the fourth game.
Newport Harbor’s Russell Gan and McIntee stuff-blocked Beebe on match point, after the Warriors saved three match points.
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