BATTLE OF THE BAY AT THE BREN:

For a photo gallery of this match, click here.

IRVINE — With Friday night’s win over Corona del Mar High, Newport Harbor may have gotten just the bump it needed for this season’s playoff push.

The Sailors defeated the Sea Kings in four games at UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center, 19-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-16, after losing in the Back Bay rivalry match for the past two years.

The Sailors are hoping to ride the wave of confidence from Friday night’s win into the postseason after suffering early exits (first round in 2006, second round in 2007) for the last two seasons.

“If you lose, you get to refocus for the playoffs,” said Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn. “ ‘This is what we’ve got to fix, this is what we’ve got to fix.’ If you win, hopefully that creates some momentum for you. We’ve been on both ends of the stick the last couple of years.”

The hitting errors compounded through the last three games for the Sea Kings, ranked No. 3 in the CIF Southern Section Division II coaches’ poll. They couldn’t catch a break from Sailors’ offensive stalwarts Kyle Caldwell, Tucker Peleuses, and Mark Leiberman, even though CdM was the last team to beat Newport Harbor.

The Sea Kings downed Newport Harbor in three March 16 at the Orange County Championships, but there was no mistaking which match counted for bragging rights.

The Sailors, the No. 1 team in CIF Southern Section Division I, benefited from a rally that put them ahead 10-4 in the fourth game. Four out of the five Sea Kings’ attempts ended in kills for the Sailors, thanks to CdM’s hitting errors.

CdM lead scorer Jeff Carlson hit .341 for the night for 14 kills, but he also had 15 unforced errors.

Caldwell was quiet in the first game, but finished with nine kills on 12 attempts, including several down-the-middle pounds into open space.

While both Newport Harbor and CdM face the same elite competition at different points in the year, including Valencia and Mira Costa, Sea Kings Coach Steve Conti said the Sailors (27-3) had the benefit of playing in the Sunset League, home to three ranked teams in CIF Division I.

The heftiest competition the Sea Kings (23-7) face in the Pacific Coast League is No. 3-ranked Laguna Beach.

“I think their league prepares them a little more,” Conti said. “It’s a tough league in our county. They’re seeing real good competition two times a week.”

It did not look to be a good night for the Sailors in Game 1. The Sea Kings rolled to a 7-3 early lead when Leibermann (seven kills, five digs, two blocks) successfully chased down a shanked ball on the right side, only to hit it into the net.

Errors piled up toward the end of the game for the Sailors, who switched sides after Max Volz’ hitting error gave the Sea Kings the first game point.

But the Sailors rebounded through the next three games with a raucous crowd to egg them on.

Peleuses, who had never beaten CdM in a varsity Battle of the Bay, led the Sailors with 18 kills, hitting .529 on the night.

“It’s a wish come true,” Peleuses said. “I’m leaving Newport with a win [against CdM].”

This was the first year the teams played in the Bren Center, and there was an adjustment curve for both.

“I think we were a little bit nervous playing in the Bren Center,” Leibermann said. “It’s a totally different gym than we’re used to playing in. It’s a lot, lot, lot bigger. But then after the first game we got our nerves out and started clicking. We started passing really well and setting really well.”

This year would have been a home match for Newport Harbor, but the schools agreed to play in the Bren Center as part of the activity surrounding the NCAA men’s volleyball championship.

Santa Margarita, Woodbridge, Newport Harbor, and Corona del Mar each paid $2,500 to rent the facility for the night, and each school got 250 tickets to sell at $10 apiece to cover the usage cost. Any extra revenue went to the schools.

“It ends up being a good thing,” Glenn said after the Sailors defeated Los Alamitos to become Sunset League champions. “It’s not about making money. It’s about putting these guys in a good venue. It a better venue than the CIF finals or anything else. It’s a showcase thing, so it’s good for the kids. It’s good for volleyball.”

SORAYA NADIA McDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or at [email protected].