Perrine sparks first-round win

Bryce Alderton

Convincing overshadowed any confusion swirling inside Newport Harbor

High’s gym Friday night in a first-round CIF Southern Section

Division I boys volleyball matchup between the host Sailors and

Huntington Beach.

The matchup between the Sailors, who went 10-0 in claiming the Sea

View League title, and the Oilers, one of three teams sharing the

Sunset League title, surprised and irked coaches from both sides

since the draw was released Monday.

The Oilers entered ranked seventh in Division I and had defeated

the Sailors in five games in early April.

But of late it doesn’t matter the opponent, Newport is determined.

The Sailors stepped up and exacted revenge with a 25-19, 25-21, 25-22 victory in front of a near-capacity crowd.

The Sailors will face Capistrano Valley at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the

second round at a site to be determined by a coin flip.

Senior outside hitter Brett Perrine, bound for UCLA, sent home a

thunderous kill to cap a three-point run and seal the victory.

Teammates embraced Perrine, who tallied a team-high 16 kills while

adding seven digs for the Sailors (18-11), who have won 10 of their

last 12 matches after starting the season 8-9.

“We were focused and ready to play,” Perrine said. “We were not

going to lose twice [to the Oilers] in our own gym.”

The Oilers (21-4) entered the match with a resume that included

winning the Orange County championships and a top ranking in CIF for

several weeks.

The Sailors were hardly intimidated entering the

single-elimination championship, Perrine said.

“[Facing the Oilers] was the best thing for us, to get a second

chance,” he said.

Perrine slammed eight kills and added an ace in the third game,

which featured no lead greater than four points for either team.

The Oilers reeled off four straight points to tie the game at 18.

The game was tied at 22 after Huntington junior standout Trey

Valbuena dived on his chest for a dig that looped over the net and

landed on the Sailors’ side. A long serve gave the ball back to

Newport and junior setter Ted Slater secured match point with a stuff

block that brought the home crowd to its feet.

Perrine then slammed his match-ending kill.

“This is our best match of the year,” Newport Coach Dan Glenn

said. “We’ve got a lot of basketball, water polo kids who have played

CIF already. The kids didn’t panic. We just controlled what we had to

do.”

Newport relied on strong play at the net with passing and pinpoint

serves.

“Newport served and passed better than Huntington Beach,” Oilers’

Coach Rocky Ciarelli said. “They hit their jump serves and when

you’re playing in your own gym ....”

The Sailors went on a 6-0 run to stake a 12-6 lead in the first

game, taking advantage of five Huntington Beach errors in that span.

The Tars built their advantage to 19-12. The Oilers came within

20-17, but three more errors helped the Sailors gain more breathing

room and eventually take the game.

Newport’s 6-foot-6 sophomore middle blocker Weston Dunlap tallied

two solo blocks and an assisted block in the first game.

The Oilers took a 17-13 lead in the second game, but three

straight hitting errors, followed by an ace from Perrine evened the

game at 17. Sailors’ 6-7 freshman Kyle Caldwell tallied a stuff block

on the next point, giving the Sailors a lead they wouldn’t

relinquish.

Ciarelli disagreed with two calls that went Newport’s way late in

the second game. One involved a ball ruled dead after hitting a beam

on the ceiling. Dunlap and the Oilers’ Eric Jaso simultaneously

touched a ball.

Junior outside hitter Brett Auer finished with seven kills and

tallied a team-high nine digs while Caldwell added five kills. Slater

had 28 assists with Brad Schneider tallying eight digs.