High School Girls’ Volleyball Preview: CdM, Laguna Beach continue to set the pace

Old habits die hard.

As far as the Corona del Mar High and Laguna Beach girls’ volleyball teams are concerned, that has meant excelling in league play.

Halfway through that part of the schedule, both teams are frontrunners to put another banner up in their gym when the regular season comes to a close in about two weeks.

The Sea Kings have won nine straight Surf League matches since moving on from the Pacific Coast League last year. Overall, CdM’s league winning streak has now reached 21 matches.

Staying at the top has not been easy for the Sea Kings (15-5, 3-0 in league), who are ranked No. 14 in the CIF Southern Section’s Division 1 and 2 combined poll. They have traversed five-set matches at Los Alamitos (18-8, 1-2), which shares the No. 15 spot, at home against Edison (11-10, 0-3) and at home versus No. 15 Huntington Beach (21-9, 2-1) in the first half of league.

“I think it’s going to help us, just knowing ... in the back of our heads that we can mount a comeback or make a run when we need to,� Sea Kings coach Sam Stafford said. “It’s obviously not ideal going five [sets] for four matches [in nine days] for health and for being fresh for the next couple of days. We spent a lot more time resting and trying to heal our bodies than we have been actually training in the gym.

“It’s not ideal, but when your backs are against the wall, you kind of have to do what you have to do. Our girls have done a good job of doing that.�

Laguna Beach (23-8, 3-0), the area’s highest-ranked team at No. 5 in the top division, sits comfortably atop the Wave League with a two-game lead over Fountain Valley (15-7, 1-2), Marina (8-13, 1-2) and Newport Harbor (5-14, 1-2).

Laguna Beach’s Piper Naess (14) and her teammates celebrate a point as they beat Trabuco Hills to advance to the semifinals of the Dave Mohs Memorial Tournament at Edison High on Sept. 7.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

The Breakers had won 13 consecutive outright league titles before sharing the inaugural Wave League crown with Newport Harbor last season.

Laguna Beach, which reached the Division 3 final last season, has gone 127-1 in league matches since 2005.

When the Sunset Conference was split into two four-team leagues with the formation of the Surf League and Wave League, the hope was that it would lead to greater parity. In girls’ volleyball, the experiment has worked.

Last year, a three-team tie for second place led to a playoff for the Surf League’s second automatic postseason berth.

Such a scenario has a surprisingly realistic chance of happening in the Wave League this season, thanks to Marina snapping a 69-match league losing streak. The Vikings beat visiting Newport Harbor 21-25, 17-25, 26-24, 25-22, 15-7 on Sept. 24.

“I put a lot of pressure on last week going into it,� Vikings coach Jake Nuneviller said. “I told the girls, ‘This is it. If we go 0-2 this week [against Newport Harbor and Fountain Valley], the last match that we will play this season will be against Fountain Valley on our senior night.’

“Now, we’re still in a position where we can control our own fate. Is it going to happen? I don’t know. They’re both good teams. I think the one thing this year that is promising is that there is a lot more parity.�

Costa Mesa’s Malia Tufuga (16) hammers a kill in the corner during a nonleague home match against Godinez on Aug. 20.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer )

Costa Mesa (15-8, 4-1) dropped Tuesday night’s tilt at Calvary Chapel 25-20, 25-14, 25-22 in a battle for first place in the Orange Coast League. If the Mustangs win the remaining matches on their schedule, they could get even with the first-place Eagles (19-4, 5-0) at home in the season finale on Oct. 16.

Estancia (6-14, 1-4) has work to do to get back in the playoff picture.

Coming off of a Golden West League title and a trip to the Division 7 semifinals, Ocean View (7-12, 4-2) struggled mightily during its nonleague schedule. The Seahawks have rebounded in time to resurrect their playoff hopes, winning four of their last five matches in league.

Ocean View is tied with Westminster (6-8, 4-2) for second place, behind only Garden Grove (16-7, 6-0), whom the Seahawks took to five sets in the first half of league.

Pacifica Christian Orange County (11-9, 3-2), a Division 9 finalist last year, hopes to punch its ticket to the postseason again. With three league matches remaining, the Tritons are tied for second place with Connelly (10-7, 3-2).

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