Sailors meet longtime rival for CIF title

Bryce Alderton

Two girls volleyball powerhouses will be on display when Mira Costa

High and Newport Harbor battle for the CIF Southern Section Division

II-AA championship at 4:30 p.m. today at Cypress College.

Top-seeded Mira Costa (30-3) and Newport Harbor (24-5), the No. 2

seed, meet for the sixth time in a section final, furthering a

long-standing rivalry. The Sailors have won three of the five

previous finals.

“[Mira Costa] has been a long-distance rival for many years and is

a good team to measure your team against,” said Newport Coach Dan

Glenn, in his 18th season guiding the Sailors. “The kids are excited

and know it is a real good opponent.”

Opposed to previous years, Glenn said this year’s Mustangs are

taller, but might not be as sharp with ball control, an area he said

the Sailors have improved in.

“They have one fantastic three-year starter [outside hitter Sydney

Donahue],” Glenn said. “She is their heartbeat, but there are a lot

of tall, talented kids around her.”

The Sailors took the Mustangs to the maximum three games before

losing twice during last summer’s Ann Kang Invitational. Newport

senior setter and outside hitter Alyson Jennings had 13 kills in each of the two matches against Mira Costa in the tournament. But Glenn

said much has changed since then.

“We’ve got some different people at outside hitter like Lauren

Miller, who had a fantastic match [Tuesday night],” Glenn said.

Miller, a senior, tallied a team-high 16 kills and added four

service aces in the Sailors’ five-game victory over Edison in the

semifinals.

“Emily Turner (11 kills against Edison) played in the back row [in

the Ann Kang Invitational], but we have moved her up front,” Glenn

said. “Kiley Hall has improved in the middle and our setting has

improved. Our ball control has gotten a lot better.”

The Sailors have seasoned themselves with a schedule this year

that has included Mater Dei, going for its third straight CIF

Division II-A title, Arch Bishop Mitty and St. Francis of Mountain

View, the three-time defending state champion.

“There are glaring things you see when an opponent is better than

you that you can fix and the kids understand that,” Glenn said.

“We’ll see what happens. There are two really good teams with great

traditions.”