Sage perfect in league

NEWPORT COAST — While the opposing coach hurried out of the building, Sage Hill School Coach Dan Thomassen stuck around to watch.

Nine Lightning players gathered after sweeping visiting St. Margaret’s, 25-11, 25-17, 25-19, Thursday.

Michael Bear stayed back until it was time to dive head first.

The junior resembled a bowling ball on the floor. Once he reached his teammates, they fell like pins to complete a strike.

A fitting way to close out the regular season as the Sage Hill boys’ volleyball team capped its first 10-0 undefeated Academy League season by knocking off its rival.

“We get like one person every [home] game who we think showed up,” said sophomore outside hitter Joey Booth for the bowling act.

Bear definitely earned it after setting up many of Booth’s 13 kills and junior outside hitter Bayle Smith’s 13 kills. Bear finished with 39 assists.

But if you asked Thomassen, everyone deserved to crash into something after the Lightning claimed their second league championship in school history. The rest of the players got their opportunities to easily thump St. Margaret’s in three games for the second time this season.

Now Sage Hill (19-10), ranked No. 3 in the final CIF Southern Section Division V coaches’ poll, awaits the playoffs. Thomassen expects his team to receive a No. 3 seed when the playoff pairings are released Monday.

Sage Hill will have a long layoff before it plays its first playoff game.

“We’re expecting our first match to be on Friday,” said Thomassen, never looking worried. The second-year varsity coach has many reasons to be relaxed.

He has the Lightning playing at a high level, the kind that he said allowed them to advance to the semifinals before losing to Viewpoint of Calabasas last year, when five of the present players were sophomores, three freshmen and two juniors.

The No. 6 Tartans (14-5, 7-3) couldn’t prevent Sage Hill from running away with the first two games. In Game 1, Sage Hill led, 12-10, until it reeled off 11 straight points. During the run, Bear served 10 times, dropping a service ace once.

But the biggest aces belonged to Booth during a period in which St. Margaret’s threatened to push the match to four games.

With Sage Hill ahead, 21-19, Booth found the left corner. Two serves later, he found the right corner. He continued to serve until the Tartans made a mistake, assuring Sage Hill that its perfect league season wouldn’t be spoiled by its rival.

“They gave us a game,” Booth said. “I feel confident that we can get [back to the semis], maybe it can turn out a little bit different this year.”

If it does, the Lightning will be in the title match for the first time.

Then they’ll just need to win three games to claim that perfect season with a section crown.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].