Monarchs roll past Tars

NEWPORT BEACH - The rumble you might have felt Friday night was not

football related, but the ground shaking under Orange County’s top-ranked

girls volleyball team.

In a nonleague showdown between two of the county’s elite teams, No. 2

Mater Dei High rocked No. 1 Newport Harbor and staked claim to the early

favorite’s label if the schools meet again this season -- possibly in the

Southern California Regional Division I final.

“Maybe (it was a preview for the regional final). I hope so, because

that means we’re there,” said Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn, whose

squad, previously unbeaten in best-of-five matches, will lose its top

billing in the county -- at least for now.

Mater Dei (9-0), led by sophomore outside hitter Breegan Mulligan and

senior middle blocker Lindsay Pavlik, defeated the Sailors, 15-13, 7-15,

15-13, 15-7, in a match that lasted 110 minutes at Newport Harbor High.

“They basically kicked our butts. They outserved us, outdug us and

outplayed us,” Glenn said of the Monarchs, who will compete in a

different division than the Sailors in the CIF Southern Section playoffs,

and could only face them again in the State Division I playoffs.

Tied at one game each, Newport Harbor (6-1) came back from a 7-1

deficit in the third game and pulled to within 13-12. But Mater Dei

gained the momentum and held on for the victory, igniting its easy win in

the fourth game to clinch the match and send a message.

“Mater Dei has never won a CIF title in girls volleyball,” first-year

Monarchs Coach Craig Pazanti said. “That’s our motivation this year.

There are no banners in the gym, and that’s what we’re hoping for -- a

CIF (Division I-A) championship.”

Newport Harbor will play in CIF Division I-AA, where it is ranked No.

1.

“We’ve been looking forward to this match to see where we are,”

Pazanti said. “(The Sailors) are the team to beat. We just got hot

tonight and got some breaks. We can play with anybody, but if we played

Newport Harbor again, I don’t know if we could beat them.”

In a wild first game, which was tied six times, Mater Dei rallied from

deficits of 6-1, 9-6 and 13-12. The Monarchs scored the game’s final

three points on Mulligan’s serving.

Newport Harbor, led by Duke-bound middle blocker Krista Dill and

USC-bound outside hitter April Ross, rolled in the second game, mounting

a 13-4 lead as Ross and 6-foot-1 junior Heather Cullen had five kills

each. Ross finished the match with 16 kills, while Cullen added 11 and

Dill 10.

Mulligan led Mater Dei with 19 kills and seven digs, while Pavlik

contributed a match-high 18 digs and 15 kills. Mater Dei setter Jennifer

Ward, a senior, had 49 assists and 12 digs. Outside hitter Katie

Kahlweiss (six kills) and Kelly Kincheloe (15 digs) also provided a spark

for the Monarchs, ranked No. 1 in CIF Division I-A.

In the crucial third game, Newport Harbor’s Brenda Waterman thought

she scored on a first-hit return to tie the game, 13-13, but the call was

changed and Mater Dei still had the lead by one.

After a couple of sideouts, Ross was called for a foot violation on

her jump serve, and Mater Dei scored on its ensuing serve because of an

unforced error by the Sailors, who fought off a game point when Cullen

recorded a kill to give her team the serve. Taylor Govaars followed with

a kill and Newport Harbor pulled to within one.

But Mulligan’s kill provided the Monarchs with the serve and they

responded by scoring to secure the third game, as Pavlik blocked

Waterman’s spike attempt.

“I think, in this sport in general, momentum is such a big factor,”

said Pazanti, whose Monarchs carried their steam into the fourth game,

when they built a 14-4 edge before winning convincingly. “Even on the

national team, or for fourth graders, momentum is a huge part of

volleyball.”