Prep column: Volleyball marathon a killer

Barry Faulkner

The Ironman Triathlon was held Saturday in Hawaii, but some local

high school athletes were involved in a weekend endurance test of another

variety in San Diego County.

The girls volleyball teams from Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor each

took part in the Torrey Pines Invitational Friday and Saturday at various

sites. But Sailors Coach Dan Glenn and Sea Kings head man Steve Conti

both said it may have been a farewell performance.

Both coaches, though appreciative of the strong competition the

24-team event provides, said a schedule which forced their teams to play

two best-of-five matches virtually back-to-back Friday o7 andf7

Saturday, is clearly not in their best interests.

Newport, second in its pool after Friday’s competition, which ended

close to 11 p.m., wound up winning the Silver Division (consolation)

championship, defeating Bishop Montgomery in a final sweep.

CdM, which wrapped up its pool play at the same time Friday, was swept

by Pacific Coast League rival Laguna Beach in its second Silver Division

consolation match Saturday.

Harbor’s Saturday matches were virtually back-to-back, while CdM

barely had enough time between its Saturday contests to scarf down some

lunch at a fast-food restaurant near the La Costa Canyon High gym, where

both Back Bay powers competed Saturday.

“That’s a lot of volleyball,” said Glenn, who, a few seasons ago,

elected not to bring his team back to a Las Vegas tournament which

featured a similar lack of rest between matches.

“April (Ross, last year’s national player of the year now starring as

a freshman at USC) was a sophomore and she hurt her arm in Las Vegas,”

Glenn said. “I’m not sure she was ever the same and I think playing so

many matches in such a short time contributed to the injury. Playing

best-of-five matches back-to-back is too much volleyball. And we did it

two days in a row. I worried about my kids getting hurt.”

Conti agreed that the mental and physical fatigue the Torrey Pines

event created was counterproductive.

“When we lost our first consolation match, I wished, at that point, it

was over,” Conti said. “After we went to the Silver Division and lost,

I’m not sure what there was to play for. Some schools could probably

benefit from the experience, but for us, it was more important to get

some rest and stay healthy.”

Compounding the workload for Conti’s players was a five-game PCL

victory Thursday over University, as well as another league match Monday

against Costa Mesa.

“From Thursday to Monday, we will have played six best-of-five

matches,” Conti said.

Both Harbor and CdM hope they can recharge their batteries for

important league matches this week. CdM hosts Laguna Beach Wednesday

(approximately 6 p.m.), while the Tars host Sea View League-leading

Irvine Thursday at 3:15 p.m.

Irvine, ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section Division I-A and No. 4 in

Orange County, swept the Sailors in the league opener, ending Newport’s

league winning streak at 39 matches, dating back to 1995.

Harbor, No. 3 in CIF Division I-A and No. 7 in the county, committed

21 hitting errors and hammered only 15 kills in the first meeting, a

15-3, 15-6, 15-8 verdict which Glenn termed an embarrassment.

The Sailors have won or shared the last seven Sea View titles, but

will need a victory over the Vaqueros to have a chance at extending that

run.

CdM, ranked No. 3 in CIF Division III-AA and No. 5 in the county, is

13-0 in league matches since entering the circuit last fall. The Sea

Kings topped Laguna Beach, ranked No. 1 in CIF Division IV-AA and No. 6

in the county, 2-15, 15-12, 15-6, 6-15, 15-11, in their first league

meeting Oct. 3. Laguna won, 15-1, 15-5, 15-9, Saturday.

“It’s great to beat a good team any time,” Conti said. “But winning a

league match is definitely more important that beating a team in a

tournament. Sometimes when you lose to someone, it makes you a little

more hungry to play them the next time. Hopefully, that will be the case

for us against Laguna. We’ll be at home, which is a nice situation, and

our girls will be fired up.”

CdM junior Jacqueline Becker will be among those helping the Sea Kings

try to protect their PCL supremacy, but the 5-foot-8 setter is becoming

as famous for her pipes as her hands.

She has sung the National Anthem at CdM sporting events, including

football games, and consistently draws appreciative ovations for her

superb rendition.

Conti said one event at which you won’t see Becker singing is a CdM

girls volleyball match.

“She sang before varsity matches when she was on the JV team, but I

don’t want it to be a distraction now that she’s playing varsity,” Conti

said.