Newport Harbor comeback bid falls short against Long Beach Wilson
The Newport Harbor High girls’ volleyball team was eliminated from the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs on Wednesday evening, but it took less than a week to change the complexion of the season.
After finishing last in the Surf League and ending the regular season with a .500 record, the Sailors showed their mettle in reaching the quarterfinals.
Freshman outside hitter Ella Olson had 32 kills, but Newport Harbor lost to Long Beach Wilson 25-22, 25-19, 21-25, 24-26, 15-8 in its first home match of the postseason.
It was the fourth consecutive five-set match played by Newport Harbor (17-16), a stretch that began with Corona del Mar completing a home-and-home sweep of the Battle of the Bay.
Since then, Newport Harbor earned road wins at West Hills Chaminade and Santa Margarita, leading into the Sailors’ spirited comeback bid on their home floor.
“It just shows we can accomplish anything,” Olson said. “I feel like we were maybe not even going to make CIF, and we did, and we made it further. … We accomplished a lot this season, even though it’s a tough loss. I’m really proud, and I know everyone else is really proud of what we’ve done this year.”
The season isn’t over for Newport Harbor, nor for any member of the Surf League. Huntington Beach and Los Alamitos are both competing in the Division 1 playoffs. Edison, which lost to Orange Lutheran on Wednesday, was also a Division 2 quarterfinalist.
“The strength of our league just kind of prepares you to grind a little bit,” Newport Harbor coach Andrew Mabry said. “You’ve got all four Surf League teams have qualified for the state tournament, and that is really crazy. To have all four teams extending their season beyond the section playoffs is pretty crazy.”
Senior setter Drue Coberly had 48 assists for the Sailors. Freshman outside hitter Vladimira Kotzakov added 15 kills. Senior middle blocker Zoe Gaa supplied six kills to go with 3½ blocks. Junior middle blocker Samantha Fleischli contributed six kills, junior opposite Jordan Surber had three block assists, and freshman defensive specialist Emery Nichols provided four service aces.
Newport Harbor secured the third set when a bump set hit the rafters and fell to the floor. Olson factored into the final five points won by the Sailors in the fourth set with four kills and a block assist.
The pin hitters for Long Beach Wilson (28-8) proved tough to account for, senior outside hitters Chloe Pravednikov and Babi Gubbins each churning out 26 kills. Pravednikov had five kills in the fifth set.
“This year, we really put team bonding as a priority and getting close as a team, so that we’re all there in intense moments,” Pravednikov said. “We look to start playing for each other then instead of just as an individual.”
The Bruins had 11 blocks as a team, led by senior middle blocker Emiya Green (four blocks) and sophomore opposite Peyton Agura (three blocks). Junior Kierin Adams handed out 25 assists, and senior Camille Agrupis had 21 assists.
Wilson travels to take on No. 2-seeded JSerra (28-10) in the semifinals on Saturday.
“It’s like a first [and] last everything,” said Gubbins, who transferred from Mater Dei. “It’s my first time doing it, but it’s also my last time. It’s really special to do this with this group of girls, and I know that the Sunset League is really competitive, so I was really excited to come down here. The student section is crazy, so I was excited to play. It was a lot of fun.”
Also in the CIF Southern Section girls’ volleyball playoffs:
Huntington Beach 3, Los Alamitos 0: Haylee LaFontaine had 13 kills in a 25-23, 25-22, 25-22 sweep for the host Oilers on Tuesday in a Division 1 pool play match.
Huntington Beach (28-7) will travel to Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (37-2) for its final pool-play match on Saturday. The winner of that match will advance to the CIF finals.
Kylie Leopard had 10 kills for the Oilers. Taylor Ponchak and Ellie Esko each had nine kills, and Dani Sparks chipped in with 40 assists.
Orange Lutheran 3, Edison 1: Molly McCluskey had 19 kills, but the visiting Chargers fell to the Lancers 25-10, 21-25, 25-17, 25-16 on Wednesday in a Division 2 quarterfinal match.
Edison (16-13) was the third-place team in the Surf League this season.
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