Sea Kings Beat Sailors in Five Games

Here’s a riddle: What means so little and means so much?

Answer: Battle of the Bay

Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar don’t compete in the same league and are not even in the same CIF Southern Section division, so no matter who wins it doesn’t impact either team’s standings. But the match means everything because it’s the city championship that's always played before a standing-room-only crowd of former players, coaches and alumni that is a who’s-who of prep volleyball.

This year’s Battle certainly lived up to its predecessors. Corona del Mar broke a 9-9 tie in Game 5 to outscore Newport Harbor, 6-2, down the stretch and come away with another grueling, sometimes agonizing, but always thrilling and entertaining victory in the final regular-season game Friday night at Corona del Mar High. The scores were 25-23, 27-29, 25-23, 31-33, 15-11.

In 2½ hours, the teams combined to score 241 points. The Sea Kings finished with 69 kills on 62 assists, the Sailors 67 kills on 59 assists. There with 58 ties, 21 lead changes and seven match points before Parker Brown’s team-high 28th kill ended the marathon match. And from 24-19 in Game 1 until the final points of Game 5, the largest lead either team was able to enjoy was three points — only four times.

For those who were there, this year’s Battle of the Bay was another instant classic.

“It’s very exciting. It’s like this every year. It’s just super, super exciting!” said middleblocker Spencer Haly, who finished with seven blocks and five kills in his last Battle of the Bay match before heading off to Stanford this fall. “To finish my senior year beating a great team like Harbor is unbelievable. I definitely think a lot of the guys stepped up and played a great game. We really wanted this game.”

For Corona del Mar (26-4), the undefeated Pacific Coast League champions and top-ranked team in CIF-SS Division 2, it was a much-needed victory heading into the start of the playoffs next week. The Sea Kings have lost twice to Newport Harbor this season, first at the OC Championships in mid-March, 2-0, then at the Santa Barbara Invitational in mid-April, 3-0.

On Friday, the Sea Kings looked as if they would end the match at Game 4 when they served six times for the match, only to be denied by the Sailors each time. A kill by senior outside hitter Cody Caldwell, one of his match-high 35, and an attempted kill shot into the net by the Sea Kings sent the match in a fifth and deciding game.

“The fourth game was a lot of fun,” Sailors coach Dan Glenn said. “I was really proud of the way the guys came back and won that game.

Newport Harbor (22-7), the undefeated Sunset League champion and fourth-ranked team in Division 1, looked to have the momentum in Game 5 by taking a 6-4 lead. But the Sea Kings didn’t quit and the match was tied five times before they took the lead for good on a service error and an unforced error by the Sailors. A stuff block by Evan Dean, a kill by Caldwell, another service error and a kill by Brown made the score 14-10, and following an unforced error by the Sea Kings, Brown ended the match with a wide-open kill shot on the 30th assist of the night by Nick Curci.

Joe Ctvrtlik, who rotated with Curci, also had 32 assists. Dean added 18 kills, Brennan Anderson eight and Jack Reed six for the Sea Kings.

“We haven’t been playing very good volleyball lately, but we have been winning. That was a good sign tonight,” Sea Kings coach Steve Conti said. “We constantly had opportunities in Game 4, but you just don’t know what to expect against [Newport Harbor]. It seems like in the Battle of the Bay, there constantly are a bunch of streaks.”

Along with Caldwell, the Sailors were led by senior Rusty Sary with 20 kills and sophomore Kevin Rakestraw with seven kills. Senior setter Ian Sequeira, who will be attending UCLA in the fall, finished with 57 kills and only one error.

“As a coach, it’s a tough one to lose. But as a fan I loved it,” Glenn said. “Corona played great; they didn’t beat themselves. I knew they were going to play well. Even though it was a loss, we’re going to build off this. I’m excited about the playoffs.”

And, no doubt, next year’s Battle.