Daily Pilot Girls’ Volleyball Dream Team: Sparks flew for Huntington Beach with Dani running the show
The beginnings of Dani Sparks’ girls’ volleyball career at Huntington Beach High allowed her to fly under the radar, to an extent.
Not long before, her older sister, Lindsey, had starred at Edison, helping the Chargers win a state title as a junior in 2016 before going on to play beach volleyball at UCLA.
Needless to say, the younger Sparks was inspired but equally eager to make a name for herself. A freshman season canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic delayed the unfolding of her story.
Once back on the court, with a number of girls she grew up with, Sparks would begin stacking accomplishments right away. In her sophomore year, the Oilers finished as the runner-up to Aliso Niguel for the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship.
In those early years, Huntington Beach coach Craig Pazanti would rave that it felt like he had three liberos on the floor at once when Sparks shared the court with Tori Hagan and Olivia Foye.
Back-row defense continued to be a strength of the Oilers throughout Sparks’ tenure with the program, which concluded this year with an impressive postseason showing against competition in the top division.
Sparks, who is the Daily Pilot Girls’ Volleyball Dream Team Player of the Year, guided the Oilers to within one match of the Division 1 section final.
Huntington Beach went 29-9 overall and 5-1 in claiming the Surf League championship outright. The Oilers wound up as the only team to push Mater Dei (43-2) — the CIF Division 1 and Open Division state champion — to a fifth set this season.
“Each year, we got a little bit better,” Sparks said. “Even though we didn’t finish top of the top, we still got so much better than when we started. Honestly, it’s not disappointing where we ended, because I think we ended on a good game. We took Mater Dei to five, which was a really big deal for us, and so I don’t have any regrets.”
Sparks flourished as a distributor for a core group of hitters that included senior outside hitter Haylee LaFontaine, with whom she shared Surf League MVP honors and will be heading to Cal Poly to join the beach volleyball program. Junior opposite Taylor Ponchak, sophomore outside hitter Addison Williams and senior middle blocker Kylie Leopard were also formidable options.
Huntington Beach coach Craig Pazanti praised Sparks for her “volleyball IQ.”
“It’s not as demanding on a coach when you have, basically, an extension of you on the floor,” Pazanti said. “I think that’s kind of what she brought to the table...just her understanding of the game and understanding who can do what. That’s, to me, what makes a great setter. It’s like a great point guard or a great quarterback, you make people around you better.
“She did that. She did it time and time again, exceeded all expectations, to be honest. I knew coming in as a freshman that she was going to be really good.”
During her senior season, Sparks provided 1,483 assists, 246 digs and 36 service aces. Although Sparks was known as a leader by example, she would use her voice as needed, helping hitters by calling out open spots to target as they went up for her sets.
Sparks learned leadership qualities from the mentorship of Lillian Perkins, Sydney Murrey and Cali Haaf during her first prep season of indoor volleyball.
“Although they graduated really early and we only knew them for a year, they really made an impact in just how much we can support each other as a team,” Sparks said. “Not only like volleyball skill. It didn’t really matter how good they were. It was more about what they showed us what we should do for each other.”
COACH OF THE YEAR
Craig Pazanti
Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach set out to take on top-tier competition, and once there, it acclimated itself quite well. The Oilers qualified for the Division 1 playoffs, a designation reserved for the top eight teams in the CIF Southern Section. At season’s end, the Oilers were ranked second in Orange County and No. 8 in the state by MaxPreps.com. Huntington Beach went 3-2 in postseason play, its losses coming on the road to the top two teams in the state. Those defeats came at the hands of Manhattan Beach Mira Costa in the final round of pool play in the section playoffs and to Mater Dei in the CIF State Southern California Regional Open Division semifinals.
FIRST TEAM
Jade Auger
OH | Ocean View | Sr.
Ocean View (11-10) showed an indomitable will to extend points over the past two seasons, both of which saw the Seahawks stake their claim to the Golden West League title. After tying atop the league standings with Westminster last year, the Seahawks earned a five-set win on their home floor against the rival Lions to win the league title outright. The go-to option for both of those squads, Auger earned Golden West League MVP. She compiled 297 kills, 204 digs and 69 aces in her swansong with the Seahawks.
Haylee LaFontaine
OH | Huntington Beach | Sr.
From the first chance she got, LaFontaine factored heavily into her team’s fortunes. Denied a freshman season due to the coronavirus pandemic, LaFontaine led the Oilers to the Division 2 final as a sophomore. The paths of LaFontaine and Sparks appear intertwined. They shared Surf League MVP honors, and the All-CIF Division 1 honorees signed with Cal Poly for beach volleyball. A former Dream Team Player of the Year, LaFontaine produced 536 kills, 201 digs, 49 aces and 39 blocks.
Kylie Leopard
MB | Huntington Beach | Sr.
Huntington Beach had potent options on the pins, but Leopard’s emergence gave the Oilers another dimension to show teams while competing against the best teams in the sport. The Cal Poly Pomona commit became an emotional leader in postseason play. She had 11 kills and 4½ blocks in a season-ending five-set defeat to Mater Dei. It marked the only time that Mater Dei, which won the Division 1 section title and the Open Division state championship, was taken to a fifth set. Leopard had 243 kills and 90 total blocks.
Korynn Mayo
OH | Marina | Fr.
Following its run to the CIF Division 5 final last season, Marina (17-13) regrouped with a number of new faces. Ryan Parker replaced Jake Nuneviller as head coach, while Mayo became the focal point for the Vikings to play through. The Wave League first-team selection had 23 kills and 13 digs against Laguna Beach in a match that decided the league’s second automatic playoff berth. For an encore, she pounded out 31 kills on .571 hitting to go with 15 digs and three aces in a first-round win over Glendora in the Division 3 playoffs.
Molly McCluskey
OPP | Edison | Sr.
As a left-handed pin hitter, McCluskey provided a look not often seen by the opposition. When coupled with the versatility and vision to execute tips behind strong blockers, the UC San Diego commit became quite a force to be reckoned with. A Surf League first-team and All-CIF selection, McCluskey guided Edison (16-13) to the Division 2 quarterfinals, one year removed from a Division 3 semifinals appearance. McCluskey finished with 333 kills, 123 digs, 60 blocks and 30 aces.
Reiley Murphy
OH | Corona del Mar | Sr.
Corona del Mar had much to celebrate this season, including an undefeated Wave League championship. What meant just as much to Murphy and the Sea Kings was their home-and-home sweep of crosstown rival Newport Harbor in the Battle of the Bay. Looking back on those two accomplishments, Murphy commented, “That’s all I can ask for,” to sum up the feats after CdM’s second five-set win of the season against Newport Harbor. The Wave League MVP, Murphy supplied 270 kills, 255 digs and 36 aces.
Ella Olson
OH | Newport Harbor | Fr.
Newport Harbor (17-16) sustained significant losses to graduation in Anabel Kotzakov, the previous Dream Team Player of the Year, and Laine Briggs, who was a first-team selection. The Sailors spent no time on the sidelines, thanks in large part to the freshman phenom. Instead, Newport Harbor parlayed an at-large berth into a Division 2 quarterfinals appearance, notching five-set road victories over West Hills Chaminade and Santa Margarita. Olson, an All-CIF honoree, accounted for 510 kills, 239 digs, 56 aces and 44 blocks.
SECOND TEAM
Position, Name, School, Year
S Drue Coberly, Newport Harbor, Sr.
L Kirsten Dauderman, Corona del Mar, Sr.
L Isabel Escuro, Ocean View, Sr.
L Olivia Foye, Huntington Beach, Jr.
MB Morgan Gillinger, Edison, Sr.
OPP Taylor Ponchak, Huntington Beach, Jr.
OH Aubrey Spallone, Costa Mesa, Jr.
S Sophie Vienna, Edison, Sr.
OH Summer Witherby, Edison, Sr.
OH-MB Chara Wondercheck, Pacifica Christian, Jr.
OH Kyra Zaengle, Laguna Beach, Jr.
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