Sailors No. 1 with a bullet

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IRVINE — Last Tuesday was some of the best high school volleyball Newport Harbor’s Dan Glenn said he has witnessed in his 24 years as coach.

That day his Sailors weren’t even playing for the CIF State Division I girls’ championship. Maybe they were.

The talk leading up to the Sailors’ state final against Salinas was they already won the crown before stepping on the court at UC Irvine on Saturday night.

“A lot of people were saying that was the state championship,” said Kirby Burnham, referring to Tuesday’s five-game thrilling victory at Dos Pueblos of Goleta in the CIF State Southern California Regional Division I final. “Since we’re playing a team from the north, they said, ‘Oh, they’re not very good. You guys for sure are going to win.’ ”

Whoever said Tuesday was for the state title turned out to be right.

The Sailors pushed aside the team from Monterey County, 25-9, 25-11, 25-11, and earned the program’s first state championship since 1999.

The ceremony at the end lasted longer than one of the games. Newport Harbor swept Salinas in 54 minutes, arguably the easiest of Glenn’s five state titles.

The road to the state championship proved to be harder for Newport Harbor (33-6) than the grand finale. Winning the Sunset League title, the CIF Southern Section Division I-AA title, and the CIF State Southern California Regional Division I title is no easy feat.

The Sailors pulled the three off.

When the Sailors advanced to the state championship, no one was stopping them, especially not Salinas (29-5), a school making its first state final appearance.

“The difference [between us and the Cowboys] is the path that we took and who we played,” Glenn said. “I think they’re a much better team than they showed. They were a little intimidated.”

The Sailors’ fast start had a lot to do with the Cowboys shaking. Newport Harbor recorded a staggering .750 hitting percentage in Game 1.

The question after Newport Harbor jumped out to a 20-8 lead was whether Salinas could reach double digits in points in the first game. The Cowboys got close until Cinnamon Sary continued to serve late because Katey Thompson and Maddy Brown took turns blasting shots.

Thompson capped her senior year with a match-high 14 kills, and she added two service aces, two digs and one block. Thompson waited four years for this opportunity and the 6-foot-1 middle blocker made the most of it before heading off to UC Santa Barbara.

The talent was always at Newport Harbor to make it to the state tournament and win it in recent years. The problem in the past was team chemistry on the court.

Thompson would know. She was around each year the Sailors fell short of qualifying for state. There was a reason for the setback in the section quarterfinals last year and the crushing loss in the semis as a sophomore.

“Playing together,” Thompson said was the team’s biggest obstacle it had to overcome. “That’s led to our downfall.

“This year, we really all came together and pushed through as a team.”

Thompson was one of four senior captains who turned Newport Harbor into a champion.

The others were Burnham, libero Kelly Heenan and converted defensive specialist Mackenzi Campbell.

Burnham earned the state final MVP honor after the outside hitter finished with 12 kills and six digs. Thompson, Brown (six kills, three digs) and Sary (33 assists) earned all-state recognition.

Things got so lopsided that it afforded Glenn the chance to get players who normally sit next to him during the match to play in the final two games.

Even the bench gave the Cowboys fits.

Salinas tried to shake things up in the opening game. The Cowboys moved their best player, Sarah Reams, to outside hitter after she mostly played libero during the team’s 17-match winning streak.

The move did little to enhance the Cowboys’ attack and defense at the net.

“I think they were worried about our middles,” said Glenn, who was glad the season ended the way it did.

“It’s been a long year, but very, very satisfying. These girls have worked extremely hard and they deserve what they got tonight.”