SANTA BARBARA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS:

SANTA BARBARA — Since he was unable to subdue the flu that was turning his stomach topsy-turvy, Max Volz set his sights on an opponent he could conquer: Valencia High.

The Newport Harbor High senior kept his stomach calm enough to help muscle the Sailors to a five-game win over Valencia in the title match of the Santa Barbara/Karch Kiraly Tournament of Champions at Santa Barbara High.

Newport Harbor (22-3) defeated Valencia, 25-20, 25-23, 21-25, 19-25, 15-10, Saturday night. Kyle Caldwell, the Sailors’ senior setter, took tournament MVP honors after posting 42 assists, 12 kills, four blocks and three aces.

Volz had been battling sickness from the start of the tournament, which the Sailors won for the first time since 1999.

Friday night, he ran outside the gym in the middle of Game 2 against Clovis West when the contents of his stomach refused to stay put. But he came back and played anyway.

Volz was so sick Coach Dan Glenn gave him a room to himself Friday night, but Saturday, he turned in nine kills, six aces and two blocks against the one team the Sailors relish beating even more than Corona del Mar.

After the Sailors won the first point off Eric Miyamoto’s serve, Volz opened with an ace. Mark Leibermann and Cody Caldwell had a block for the third point, and Volz served up another ace to give the Sailors a 4-0 lead over Valencia, widely considered the best team in the nation.

Valencia is ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Division II coaches’ poll, while the Sailors occupy the top spot in Division I.

Corona del Mar fell victim to the Tigers’ high-powered offensive attack in a semifinal Saturday morning, and the Sailors were expecting the same intense kills in the final.

“We knew they had a lot of offensive attacks that they were going to be bringing, so we really bunkered down and got a lot of digs,” Volz said. “That was a big, big, help for us.”

Andrew Kaban led Newport Harbor with seven digs.

Volz’ energy matched his teammates, and anyhow, there’s no way he would have let Glenn bench him.

“I was so proud of [Volz],” said senior Tucker Peleuses, who had 14 kills. “He absolutely pulled it together. It’s such a morale booster to know that he’s been super sick, and for him to come out here and actually lead the team, being sick, it’s like a double morale booster. It’s awesome.”

With such a fiery start to Game 1, and another win in Game 2, it looked as though the Sailors would walk away with bragging rights in three games.

But Jake Piva had a huge block in Game 3, when he shut down Volz on the right side to tie the game, 6-6. Then Jon Griffith answered JB Green on the left, and the Tigers took their first lead of the match.

The Sailors lost control in Game 4, and Glenn had to take a timeout as they trailed, 19-14, to tell them to swallow their indignation from a couple of unfavorable calls.

By Game 5, the Sailors were playing with the same chemistry and ease that marked the first two. The Sailors have the dubious honor of being undefeated this season in five-game matches. They took down Edison and Laguna Beach in five.

“Most of the time, we shouldn’t have gotten to a fifth game,” Peleuses said. “We kind of just — we kind of lose it mentally and then we realize it’s the fifth game, it’s only to 15 and we’ve got to give it everything we’ve got ’cause we’re not going to be able to do anything after it.”

Peleuses, who’s headed to USC, and Mark Leibermann, who will play at UC Santa Barbara, were both named to the all-tournament team. Leibermann had nine kills and three aces.

“[Volz] could have easily been all-tournament, but it’s for the whole tournament and the other guys were a little more steady and he’s been sick,” Glenn said. “I’m really proud of the way he handled himself and how’s he’s played in this tournament.”

Caldwell, bound for UCLA, was also impressive for Glenn, and came away with some memorabilia to prove it. Because this was the first year the tournament was named after the Dons’ most notable alumnus, Caldwell received one of Kiraly’s autographed trademark Day-Glo pink hats, inscribed with the words “faster, higher, stronger,” in Latin.

The Sailors defeated Bullard in a semifinal match Saturday morning, while CdM fell to Valencia, 25-22, 25-20, 25-19.

SEA KINGS TAKE THIRD

Weston Nielsen had the final say for Corona del Mar, which exited the Santa Barbara tournament with a third-place finish Saturday afternoon.

Nielsen put down the definitive smack with a right side block as the Sea Kings (20-6) defeated Bullard, 25-22, 25-23, 27-25.

Jeff Carlson, Dillon Flinn, and Gus Ellis led the Sea Kings, ranked No. 3 in CIF Division II, with 10 kills each, followed by Dylan Davis, who had six.

Spencer Brown had six digs, and Connor Bannan finished with 33 assists. Carlson also added three aces.

Brown and Flinn were named to the all-tournament team.

The Santa Barbara tournament provides a barometer for teams to scout the volleyball elite right before CIF playoffs, and it gives them a chance to diagnose their own problems.

The Sea Kings found themselves lacking on defense when they made questionable reads on their opponents sets.

“We let a few balls drop on broken plays,” CdM Coach Steve Conti said. “Two guys are literally watching the ball drop. And that’s the frustrating thing. Sometimes, we’ll make the difficult play. The ball gets hit in the corner and we’ll dive and stab that one up. One or two [easy] balls can sometimes change the whole dynamic of a match.”

CdM, undefeated in the Pacific Coast League, has about two weeks left in the regular season to make the necessary tweaks.

CdM is itching for a rematch with the Tigers. There’s a strong possibility that the two teams could meet in the Division II playoffs.

The rivalry between the two schools is ugly enough that the Sea Kings would rather root for Back Bay rival Newport Harbor than Valencia.

“You know, I actually will be rooting for Harbor,” Ellis said after the Sea Kings won the third-place match. “Because I can tell you one thing: At least I have friends on Harbor. And that’s the truth.”

Apparently, the Sailors feel the same way.

But why does everyone hate Valencia so much?

“I think it’s the fact that they’re a super-emotional team,” Peleuses said. “If they get a block, they fly around the court with their arms up and everything. It’s not necessarily bad sportsmanship, but on the opposite side of the court, you just feel like it’s a little bit immature. But they’re a great team, so they can back it up. It would be even worse if they did that and they weren’t able to back it up … We were rooting for [Corona del Mar].”

SORAYA NADIA McDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or at [email protected].