Ensign excels on court

The Ensign School eighth-grade boys volleyball team defeated Harbor

Day, 25-16, 25-22, to win the championship and complete an undefeated

season Friday.

Kyle Caldwell had many kills while Dusty Campbell and Erik Bonn

provided the sets.

Corey Handley and R.J. D’Cruz led the serving while Mark Libermann

provided some saves and digs.

Harbor Day jumped to a 7-0 lead in the second game, but top-seeded

Ensign regained the lead, 19-18.

Ensign had a balanced attack with each player tallying at least

one kill.

Ensign defeated Dwyer, 25-16, 26-24, in a semifinal.

Caldwell had his best game of the season with seven kills and a

couple of blocks to pace Ensign.

Campbell and Bonn took care of the setting to give Hanley and

Caldwell many opportunities.

D’Cruz and Libermann each served five consecutive points in the

first set.The second set featured several lead changes.

Andrew Kaban made a diving save to spark Ensign, but Dwyer took a

16-14 lead.

Murphy Hitchcock hit five straight serves to put Ensign ahead with

Garrett Heiser and Jimmy Burger adding blocks.

Setters John Puppo and Will Reichenstein both played well.

Brandon Rawley added a spark to the Ensign attack.

Ensign ended the regular season with a 25-12, 25-18 victory over

TeWinkle.

Bonn served four consecutive points, including four aces, to

catapult Ensign in the first set.

Libermann added a couple aces with Hanley and D’Cruz each adding

one ace apiece.

Campbell finished with seven assists, two kills and one dig while

Caldwell tallied two kills and an ace.

Puppo had 11 assists in the second set while Heiser added four

kills. Hitchcock provided five aces along with two from Burger.

Reichenstein collected two assists, two kills and won a few points

serving.

Kaban added two serves and a dig with help from Rawley’s two

blocks, a kill and an assist.

In seventh-grade boys action:

* Tournament host Harbor Day won the Newport-Mesa seventh-grade

boys volleyball title with a 25-25, 26-24 victory over TeWinkle in

the championship match . Harbor Day completed the season undefeated

(8-0).

Outside hitters Nick Freeman and Danny Miller, along with middle

blockers Andy Morrow and Michael Ensign, with setters Wilson Knapp

and Merrett Scott, helped Harbor Day.

Freeman and Scott each served several aces as Harbor Day jumped to

a big lead against TeWinkle. Morrow provided many kills.

TeWinkle had the lead for much of the second game before Harbor

Day tied it at 23. TeWinkle served for the win twice, but Harbor Day

hung on and Morrow served the final two points, including an ace to

close the match.

Danny Moskovits, Ryan Spitzer, Bayle Smith, Brad Jones, Michael

Bear, Scott Thomsen and Eric Wright all helped in Harbor Day’s title

run.