Mira Costa denies Newport

Newport Harbor High’s girls volleyball team wrapped up play with a

second-place finish in the 20-team Ann Kang Invitational in Waikiki,

Hawaii, Saturday.

Newport defeated Moanaleua, 25-23, 25-17, to reach the finals of

the winner’s bracket, where Mira Costa awaited.

After dropping the first set, 25-16, Newport, coming off a CIF

Southern Section Division II-AA championship and a berth in the CIF

Southern California Division II regional final, won the second game,

25-16, before Mira Costa edged out a 25-23 win in the final stanza.

“We were tied at 23 and it could have gone either way,” Newport

Harbor Coach Dan Glenn said of the third game.

Alyson Jennings, who will begin her senior season next month, led

Newport with 13 kills followed by nine from Kiley Hall and five

apiece from Alexis Kerns and Taryn Tarnutzer.

With the loss to Mira Costa, Newport was bumped into the loser’s

bracket of the double-elimination tournament, where it defeated

Kalani, 25-19, 25-23. Jennings had 10 kills followed by eight from

Tarnutzer and five from Bryana Carey, who added three service aces,

including the final two points.

Newport needed to beat Mira Costa twice when the two squared off a

second time in the tournament. Newport won the first game, 26-24

before succumbing, 15-25, 18-25. Jennings produced 13 kills as Hall added six.

“Jennings played fantastic and Kellie King did a nice job

setting,” Glenn said.

Jennings has verbally committed to play at the University of Texas

after she completes her upcoming senior year at Newport.

“Overall we did a nice job,” Glenn said. “We had some people in

new spots. We will need to improve on running the middle to beat

[teams].”

Matches featured rally scoring and a 15-minute running clock for

each game. The clock stopped the last two minutes.

“[Rally scoring] speeds up the game,” Glenn said. “It is just

another factor to be aware of. It is fun to coach under that format,

more like a basketball-type of situation toward the end of games.”