Girls volleyball: Tars go down in five

Richard Dunn

NEWPORT BEACH - Unless you’ve defeated Newport Harbor High’s girls

volleyball team on the Sailors’ floor, a.k.a. the “dungeon,” you haven’t

truly experienced the fruits of victory.

But Coach Mark Mednick’s Irvine Vaqueros got a taste of it Thursday in

a mammoth Sea View League match that probably decided the 2000 league

champion.

Irvine, ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section Division I-A, swept the

Sailors at home Oct. 2 in the first round. But this time it wasn’t as

easy.

“A lot of (playing the Sailors) is mystic, and it’s been a long time

since we’ve beaten them,” said Mednick, whose team managed to scrap and

claw its way out of a deadlocked fifth game and win the match, 15-4,

9-15, 8-15, 15-10, 15-12.

“I’m fired up for Irvine,” Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn said. “Just

put them on the other side of the (CIF I-A playoff) bracket.”

Irvine (10-1, 5-0 in league), on a clear path to the Sea View crown,

rallied at the end to pull it out, after Newport Harbor sophomore middle

blocker Kristin McClune tied the fifth game, 12-12, on a kill. Twice in

that rally, Liz Lord kept the Tars alive with stellar digs.

Irvine, however, closed out the match with three unanswered points and

made sure the Tars didn’t get back up.

“It wasn’t a close match in the first round (15-3, 15-6, 15-8), and we

conquered some demons with that victory,” Mednick said.

“I’ve been at Irvine for 10 years and we had never beaten (the

Sailors) before. I don’t think we’ve beaten them since Bev (Oden in

1988). I really don’t know how long it’s been, but it’s been a long, long

time.”

Newport Harbor (9-6, 3-2), ranked No. 3 in CIF Division I-A, struggled

in its earlier match against Irvine and found a similar pattern to open

this one.

“That first game was how we played last time, with way too many

ballhandling errors,” said Glenn, whose team bounced back nicely to win

the second and third games.

Irvine, which had only 15 minutes to warm up because of a late school

schedule, didn’t waste any time jumping on the hosts.

“We got here so late ... I was so surprised how we played (in the

first game),” Mednick said. “We just got on the court and played.”

In the second game, senior Taylor Govaars and freshman Alyson Jennings

each had four kills for the Sailors, while McClune, Colby George and

Christine Woller had blocks. Woller’s solid block on Irvine’s Tiffany

Trgovac ended the game.

The second game was tied five times, the last at 9-9, then Newport

Harbor found its groove. Down 9-7, the Tars came back for an 11-9 lead.

After four sideouts, they got the serve again and finished out the game

with four straight points, two on blocks by McClune and Woller.

The third game was tied six times before Newport pulled away.

Following an 8-8 logjam, Irvine didn’t score again. The Tars scored three

straight with Woller at the service line, going up, 11-8.

Govaars, who led Newport Harbor with 18 kills, gave her team a sideout

with a kill, then Lord blocked Irvine’s Olivia Waldowski on a loose ball

high at the net for a point and George ripped home a first-hit return for

a kill and a 13-8 lead.

A net violation on Irvine provided the Tars with another serve and

Govaars converted with a kill off the block on the next point. An Irvine

hitting error capped the Newport Harbor rally.

In a crazy fourth game, Irvine setter Courtney DeMott was threatening

to serve the entire game, but her roll was stopped after the Vaqueros

built a 12-0 lead.

At that point, it seemed automatic that fans would get a fifth and

decisive game. But the Tars stormed back and almost caught Irvine.

Kills by Govaars, Lord and Claire Allen, and a solo block by Jennings,

sparked a comeback.

Irvine followed with a service error, then two consecutive hitting

errors as Newport Harbor pulled to within 13-9. But the deficit was too

great to overcome and the Vaqueros held on behind Waldowski (match-high

21 kills and eight blocks) and Jody Carlson (17 kills, including the

third-game clincher).

In the fifth game, Harbor led, 5-1, then Irvine tied it, 5-5. The

Sailors built two more leads, 8-5 and 10-7, but couldn’t hang on.

“I had too many young players out there on the floor (in the fifth

game),” Glenn said. “That can really make a difference. That’s my fault.

I should’ve had more seniors out there.”

Irvine went ahead, 12-10, in the fifth, then Newport tied it, thanks

to a Govaars kill, an Irvine hitting error and McClune’s kill to cap a

long rally.

Jennings (nine kills), Lord (seven) and McClune (four) followed

Govaars for team honors in offensive hitting.