Girls volleyball: Harbor warms up with first round win

Steve Virgen

NEWPORT BEACH - The most crucial point for the Newport Harbor girls

volleyball team, surprisingly, came before the match started. The Sailors

used their warm-up to get fired up and began with a 15-0 win over

University that set the pace for a three-game sweep (15-7, 15-10) over

the Trojans in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division I-A

playoffs Tuesday at Harbor.

The Sailors, Sea View League runners-up, will play Hart Thursday in

the second round, at a site to be determined. Hart swept Thousand Oaks,

coached by former Sailor Tara Kroesch, 15-6, 15-6, 15-10.

From the beginning of their warm-up routine, the Sailors were full of

energy as “The Ruff Ryders Anthem” thumped in the background. Harbor

(19-9) followed suit to the lyrics of the DMX song: o7 “Stop. Drop. Shut

‘em down. Open up shop.”f7

“We were just really excited and pumped up for the playoffs,” said

Harbor senior Taylor Govaars, who had a match-high 12 kills. “We wanted

to come out and do our best. We knew if we came out strong we would do

it.”

The Trojans (8-9), who finihed third in the Pacific Coast League,

served seven times in game one, but failed to gain any advantage or any

type of momentum, mostly because of Govaars and Katie King, who served up

the assists for Govaars. King finished with 38 assists.

“We had a really good warm-up,” King said. “We all have this routine

for the warm-up and we were just ready to go, fired up and focused.”

Though the Sailors took a commanding advantage in the first game,

University was able to bounce back and challenge them in the second. The

Trojans battled the Tars to a 7-7 tie, before Harbor scored the game’s

final eight points.

The Sailors outmatched the Trojans in practically every area of the

game: momentum, teamwork and senior leadership. Before the match started,

Harbor Coach Dan Glenn planned a special senior presentation as each

senior was introduced with their parents. Govaars, Colby George, Brianna

Brooks, Kristin Maberry, Lauren Bald and the return of Heather Cullen

inspired the rest of the team.

“It was so nice to have (Cullen) back,” Glenn said of the senior who

was out since May with a torn right anterior cruciate ligament. “(Her

return) takes the pressure off the kids. I’m excited to have her out

there.”

Cullen received clearance Monday, but was only allowed to play in the

back row. She said she not get full clearance until Nov. 30, after the

season is over.

“It was just great being on the court again,” said Cullen, who will

has committed to UCLA. “Just to be with my team playing and to have the

adrenaline pumping, it was great.”

The Sailors carried their momentum into the third game as they built a

13-3 lead. But, the Trojans responded and scored seven straight as Glenn

substituted players who entered the match for the first time. As soon as

University came within 13-10, Glenn called a timeout.

Harbor then came out and earned a sideout when Claire Allen finished

Govaars’ assist. Bald went to serve for Harbor’s final points as

Christine Woller, who had 10 kills, took the Sailors to game point with a

kill. And Bald ended the match with an ace, her third of the night.

“It seems like we’re getting better,” Glenn said.

The Trojans were led by junior Melissa Zapiain, who had 10 kills to

finish with 277 for the season, according to University Coach JoAnn

Byars.

“She didn’t have one of her better nights,” Byars said. “Newport is

just so strong. To lose that first game, 15-0, that just was not good.

These kids are so young.”