Girls volleyball: CdM sweeps Nordhoff

Richard Dunn

CORONA DEL MAR - The road to the CIF Southern Section Division

III-AA girls volleyball championship match will include a stopover in a

pressure cooker.

The meatloaf should be tender by the time Corona del Mar High’s Sea

Kings are finished playing host Bishop Montgomery in the CIF semifinals

Tuesday night at 7.

To set up the much-anticipated showdown against No. 2-seeded Bishop

Montgomery, the third-seeded Sea Kings swept Nordhoff of Ojai, 15-6,

15-3, 15-7, Saturday night in the Division III-AA quarterfinals at CdM.

But, after quickly deposing of the Rangers (9-7), Corona del Mar Coach

Steve Conti couldn’t help but think about the semifinal task in a hostile

environment.

“That semifinal match will be the type of match high school players

live to play for,” said Conti, whose team will travel to Torrance,

because Bishop Montgomery played on the road in the quarterfinals.

“It’s a small (steamy) gym at Bishop Montgomery, a lot like Newport

Harbor’s. It’s hot and fiery in there, and that’s what high school sports

are all about.”

Nordhoff, the Frontier League’s second-place team, traveled 2 1/2

hours to reach its quarterfinal destination, only to be turned away in a

62-minute match by the hosts (18-8). The Sea Kings competed as if they

were in a hurry to play the next round.

“The last two years, we’ve been knocked out in the semifinals, and I’m

hoping this year the girls want to do more than what our teams did the

past two years,” said Conti, whose girls captured a CIF title in 1997.

Thanks to some outstanding serving, Corona del Mar made sure

Nordhoff’s freeway time didn’t quite measure up to the on-court time.

For example, CdM setter Jacqueline Becker finished with three aces and

two service winners, while senior Lindsey Anstandig (match-high 15 kills)

fired in three aces.

Senior Lauren Nielson came off the bench to produce two service

winners for CdM in the first game, while back-row specialist Alissa

Zoelle had an ace in the opening game and service winners in each of the

second and third games.

CdM senior outside hitter Sara Deming (12 kills) also had a service

winner in the second game.

“We served really tough tonight,” Conti said, “and (serving) is

definitely one of our strengths.”

In an opening game that lasted less than 15 minutes, the 5-foot-11

Deming had the hot hand with five kills.

After Nordhoff pulled to within 8-6, the Sea Kings rallied and

maintained control of the serve the rest of the way, except for a single

sideout.

With Nielson at the service line, CdM scored five straight points, the

last a rocket down the line by Deming for a kill. Becker closed out the

game with a clean ace and service winner at game point.

“I think Corona del Mar did an excellent job serving to us,” Nordhoff

Coach Chris Bohney said.

Anstandig warmed up in the second game with five kills and the Sea

Kings enjoyed a huge spurt behind Zoelle’s serving (five consecutive

points) to go up, 11-1. Then Deming’s service winner made it 13-1, before

the Rangers came back with a couple of points.

Anstandig had three straight kills to get CdM at game point, then Ally

Selich finished off Nordhoff with a kill for CdM, going up high at the

net for a rejection.

“I think when you’re the visiting team it’s real important to get off

to a good start ... and we jumped on them,” Conti said. “A win like this

allows us to raise our level of confidence, and our team plays well when

it’s playing with confidence.”

In addition to Anstandig and Deming, Kate Petry, a senior outside

hitter, displayed moments of dominance with the missiles she unleashed,

resulting in four kills (she didn’t play in the third game).

“Kate Petry has improved her all-around game, and her defense and

hitting have really gotten better the last two weeks,” Conti said.

“But the biggest thing I think is the chance to play Bishop Montgomery

again (the Knights eliminated CdM last year in the Southern California

Regional finals). The girls will be fired up to play them. And you always

know to get to the finals you have to beat a top team on the road.”

CdM’s Katie Duggan, a 5-11 junior middle blocker, added six kills

against Nordhoff, while Eleanor Mack contributed some timely kills for

CdM.

The Sea Kings, though, might have their hands full against Bishop

Montgomery.

“I think they’ll have a tough time, because Bishop Montgomery has a

lot of weapons,” Bohney said. “I think if (the Sea Kings) played

consistent and tried to find some weaknesses in Bishop Montgomery, they

might have a chance. But they have to block Bishop Montgomery better than

they did against us tonight.”