Boys volleyball: CdM struggles getting old

Barry Faulkner

LAGUNA BEACH - The signs of encouragement Corona del Mar High boys

volleyball coach Steve Conti picked up during Tuesday’s Pacific Coast

League loss to Northwood, turned Friday night into foreboding symbols of

a season headed, perhaps irretrievably, south.

The Sea Kings (5-4, 3-3 in league) were defeated, 15-7, 12-15, 15-8,

17-15, by PCL host Laguna Beach (8-5, 5-1) to fall two games back of the

second-place Artists with just four league matches remaining.

Further, the visitors, who have struggled to overcome their lack of

experience all season, continued to commit costly unforced errors to

sabotage an otherwise inspired effort.

“Our nemesis all season has been unforced errors,” Conti said. “That’s

a sign of our youth, with our only returning starter having moved to a

new position. But we’re getting to the point where we can no longer use

(inexperience) as an excuse. There are no more moral victories at this

point. We’ve had a couple opportunities now to get over the hump, which

would really help our confidence. Sometimes it seemed like we couldn’t

get a break tonight, but, sometimes, you have to make those breaks happen

for yourself.”

CdM, which has been to the CIF Southern Section division finals each

of the last five seasons, committed nine, 12 and 11 unforced errors in

the three games it lost Friday. The Sea Kings had just six errors in

their lone victory, when they saw a 12-6 lead disappear in Game 2, then

scored the final three points to add some atmosphere into a match that

that eventually created playoff intensity from both teams, as well as

their rooters.

“I told our guys, there is only one way to silence a hostile crowd and

that’s to come out with a victory,” Conti said. “We didn’t do that

tonight.”

Though failing to execute in the first and third games, there was no

lack of effort or fortitude from the Sea Kings in the 51-minute fourth

game that featured nine ties and 70 sideouts.

CdM jumped ahead, 5-2, before Laguna Beach rallied for a 6-5 lead. The

match was tied at 6, 7, 8 and 9, before a kill by freshman Kevin Welch, a

John Grod stuff block and a Laguna hitting error put the visitors up,

12-9. CdM went up, 14-12, and had three game points, before the Artists

closed out the match.

“(The Artists) are a real feisty team,” Conti said. “They deserved to

win.”

Welch and senior middle blocker Ryan Inman paced the visitors with 11

kills apiece, while senior John Grod added nine kills, four stuff blocks

and 21 digs.

Junior Bart Welch totaled 24 digs, six kills and three blocks and

junior middle Brian Brinkerhoff (five kills and three blocks) and Miles

Yourman (seven kills) came off the bench to add a spark.

Junior setter Spencer Miller amassed 41 assists for CdM, which will

likely need to win three of its final four league matches to wrap up a

guaranteed CIF Division IV playoff spot.

The Sea Kings are ranked No. 4 in Division IV, but Laguna Beach is No.

3 and PCL-leading Northwood is No. 2, behind defending champion Santa

Ynez.

Laguna Beach was paced by 6-foot-4 junior outside hitter Matt

Anderson, who pounded 24 kills. The middle-blocking tandem of 6-1 junior

Mike Chiaverini and 6-1 sophomore Trey Chapel was also a big weapon for

Laguna senior setter Ben Dwyer (59 assists). Chiaverini collected nine of

his 15 kills in the fourth game, when Chapel tacked on seven kills to

finish with 12.