Home-court advantage helps Newport Harbor rebound in regional tournament

When Edison High’s girls’ volleyball team received an entry into the state tournament, they were collectively surprised.

Not often does a team that was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the sectional playoffs get a chance to continue its season.

It is springtime, now, and where local boys’ volleyball teams are concerned, the Southern California Regional Division I bracket was devoid of any surprises.

Despite a straight-sets defeat to Los Angeles Loyola in the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs, Newport Harbor knew that there would be more games to play.

Sailors coach Rocky Ciarelli revealed that the assurance of additional games did little to comfort his team in the aftermath of the loss to the top-seeded Cubs.

“We took Thursday off from practice,” Ciarelli said. “Friday was difficult on them, too. It was tough. You lose. These kids are very competitive. They took that to heart.

“Monday, I noticed that we had kind of gotten over it a bit. I guess the weekend was good for them.”

A return to their home gym might have done the Sailors some good as well, as fourth-seeded Newport Harbor swept La Jolla, 25-12, 25-18, 25-18, on Tuesday night.

Spencer Lawrence had 11 kills and two blocks. The power of the senior middle blocker stood out in a dominant opening game for the Sailors (30-4).

“It definitely feels good to have the homecourt advantage,” Lawrence said. “At Loyola, we didn’t feel too comfortable in the gym.”

A packed house in a place that is accustomed to winning (five championship-match appearances in six years) made Loyola a tough place to play. The Sailors certainly shouldn’t expect a warm welcome in their next match, either.

Newport Harbor has played its final home match of the season, as the top four seeds all advanced. The Sailors will visit top-seeded Corona del Mar in a postseason edition of the Battle of the Bay.

“I’m sure that both teams will be fired up,” Ciarelli said of the upcoming regional semifinal. “There will be a lot of people there. It will be good.”

The Sea Kings (32-3) bested the Sailors in a 29-27, 25-18, 25-23 victory on April 1. Junior outside hitter Cole Pender does not believe the past result is an indicator of his team’s future prospects against CdM.

“I think we’re a different team,” the UCLA commit said. “We’re playing better right now. We kind of switched up our lineup after Loyola. We’re going to come to CdM and take them down.”

Pender had a match-high 13 kills, including the close-out finish in the first set.

Sophomore outside hitter Dayne Chalmers had nine kills. UC Santa Barbara commit Landon Monroe had six kills, two blocks, and two aces. Joe Karlous handed out 42 assists.

At any point that the Vikings (32-6) were attempting to make a run, the Sailors’ middle blockers put an abrupt stop to it. Ethan Talley and Lawrence combined for six blocks in the match, altering several other attempts.

“The middles did a good job, and we were lined up properly,” Ciarelli said. “That’s what blocking is all about – make sure you’re lined up with the hitter – so they did a good job.”

Lawrence and Talley are both committed to play for Ohio State after high school.

Long Beach State-bound Gabe Vargas led La Jolla with seven kills. Berkeley Miesfeld had 18 assists, and Grant Starsiak had 16 digs for the Vikings.

The Division I regional tournament is providing a sense of déjà vu. The regional semifinalists were the final four in the CIF-SS Division 1 bracket.

Corona del Mar swept Palisades, 25-16, 25-18, 25-17. The Sea Kings will play host to Newport Harbor on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Second-seed Loyola edged Clovis Buchanan, 25-14, 26-24, 25-21.

Third-seeded Oak Park rallied to beat Carlsbad La Costa Canyon, 22-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-16, 15-11.

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