Boys volleyball: CdM dominates Mesa

Barry Faulkner

CORONA DEL MAR - When Corona del Mar High was shifted from the Sea

View League to the Pacific Coast League for the 1999-200 school year, Sea

Kings boys volleyball coach Steve Conti knew there’d be days like

Tuesday.

He knew there’d be league matches completed in less time than the average

wash cycle.

Matches which were over before they were scheduled to begin.

Matches where the last player on the roster would compile statistics,

then savor their contribution for weeks to come.

Costa Mesa’s Mustangs were unwilling fodder for the aforementioned 15-3,

15-3, 15-1 mismatch, which included a 12-minute first game, 11-minute

second game and an eight-minute finale. The Sea Kings’ efficiency closed

the curtain at 5:59, one minute prior to the scheduled start.

“After the first game, when (the Sea Kings) showed our guys what they

could do, we pretty much put our heads down like we realized we couldn’t

play with them,” Mesa Coach Jon Carlew said. “That’s definitely a good

team we played.”

Conti, who played all his available players, said a combination of his

team’s unusual depth and admirable focus may have made the decisive

outcome a tad misleading.

“We just didn’t make very many mistakes tonight,” Conti said. (Mesa) dug

some balls, but we kept our composure.”

The Mustangs (6-3, 2-2 in league) rallied from a 3-0 deficit to close to

within 5-3 in the opening game.

But CdM (8-1, 4-0 and ranked No. 4 in CIF Southern Section Division I)

scored the next 13 points, 40 of the next 44, then immediately began

focusing on Thursday’s PCL showdown at Laguna Beach.

Greg Stampley led the winners with eight kills, while Stanford-bound

senior setter Kevin Hansen had 12 assists, one kill, one stuff block and

one ace, before sitting out the final game.

Seniors Nate Jones and Shaun Ferryman had five and four kills,

respectively, for the Mustangs.

“Thursday is a crucial match for us, because we can build a two-game lead

(over the Artists) with a win,” Conti said. “Our guys will be fired up.”