No. 4 Newport Harbor rallies to beat Mira Costa, avoids second-round upset in CIF playoffs

A year ago, the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 boys’ volleyball playoffs is where Newport Harbor High stumbled.

In the same round on Thursday, the Sailors almost fell again.

Being one of the top four seeds in the postseason for the second straight year has not really benefited Newport Harbor. Yet again, there are no easy rounds in the premier division.

The No. 4-seeded Sailors rallied to beat Manhattan Beach Mira Costa 22-25, 25-15, 23-25, 25-17, 15-6 avoiding the upset at home.

Cole Pender led the way for Newport Harbor, totaling 26 kills. He and the Sailors (27-3) move on to the quarterfinals to play at Westlake on Saturday at 7 p.m. Westlake advanced by outlasting Santa Barbara 25-15, 16-25, 21-25, 25-19, 15-8 on Thursday night.

For the second time in as many years, Newport Harbor went the distance in the second round. This time, it survived after not doing so at Beckman last year.

As his players celebrated on the court, right after Ethan Talley’s service ace clinched it, Newport Harbor Coach Rocky Ciarelli could breathe a sigh of relief. His Sailors roared back, taking the final two sets.

In Game 5, Newport Harbor ran away with it.

The Sailors produced eight of the first 10 points. Ohio State-bound middle blocker Spencer Lawrence teamed up with Pender, a junior committed to UCLA, for a block, as well as with Dayne Chalmers. Pender collected three kills in the decisive fifth set, and Chalmers added two of his 16 kills and a solo block.

“I knew when we got to the second round that it was going to be pretty tough,” Ciarelli said. “They’re a good team. They played very well tonight. They were almost perfect the first game. The third could’ve gone either way.”

The contest also could have gone either way. The match between the two programs played out much differently than the nonleague meeting at Mira Costa on March 21. Back then, the Sailors swept.

Mira Costa (22-10) finally took a set from Newport Harbor, doing so right away.

The Sailors led early in Game 1, but by no more than three. At 12-11, Mira Costa took its first lead on a kill by Max Cajuste. The Mustangs never relinquished it.

Cajuste, who had 19 kills, kept firing away at Newport Harbor. The junior outside hitter recorded eight kills in Game 1. He and Pender went back and forth, as Pender totaled six kills in the first set. Down the stretch, the Sailors only managed to get within two.

Chalmers did his part to make it close for Newport Harbor, unleashing four kills late, but Cajuste closed things out for Mira Costa. He had the last three points for the Mustangs.

Game 2 was tight from the start. Through the first 14 points, it was even seven times. Then the Sailors went on a 10-3 run, going ahead 17-10. Lawrence unloaded a shot to break a 7-7 tie, and Chalmers, Pender and Talley pounded away.

Talley also turned away a shot, with assistance from Scott Schweitzer. Lawrence teamed up with Landon Monroe on three blocks in the second set and on another with Pender.

The Sailors evened things up, and then their season was on the brink. Mira Costa claimed the third set, needing only one more to stun Newport Harbor, the Sunset League champion.

Somehow, the Sailors managed to stay alive. For their efforts, the Sailors are heading to the quarterfinals for the first time in six years.

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Twitter: @ByDCP