Coastal Fantastic Four
Four out of the 15 high school boys’ volleyball teams on the CIF Southern Section Division 1 watch list are from the area. In alphabetical order, they are Corona del Mar, Edison, Huntington Beach and Newport Harbor.
The Sea Kings have made the Division 1 finals the past two seasons under Coach Steve Conti. They lost in five sets each time, to Los Angeles Loyola last year and Huntington Beach two years ago.
The program lost three weapons from those section finals appearances, setter Matt Ctvrtlik, outside hitter Sam Kobrine and middle blocker Will Hunter, to graduation. Nevertheless, CdM is once again talented.
Mitch Haly, a 6-foot-6 senior middle blocker, is back, along with senior outside hitter Clay Dickinson. Both are going to USC.
Three key juniors — Brandon Browning, a 6-4 outside hitter, Kevin Kobrine, a 6-4 opposite committed to UCLA and setter Patrick Paragas — also return. Haly and Kobrine played basketball in the winter, and by the time the volleyball season starts for CdM, the two will have had a couple of weeks to recover.
Since 2014, Conti has waited until the second week in March to open the season because many of his players play basketball, and their season usually runs late because of the postseason.
Newport Harbor began its season at home on Tuesday with a sweep of Laguna Beach. The Sailors were without sophomore standout Dayne Chalmers. Evan Chalmers said his son is out with a strained tricep, and the outside hitter should be back soon.
Many consider the Sailors to be the top team in Orange County, and with Cole Pender, a junior committed to UCLA, Spencer Lawrence, a senior bound for Ohio State, and Chalmers, it’s hard to argue against them under Coach Rocky Ciarelli.
Keep in mind that a year ago, Beckman upset Newport Harbor, 18-25, 25-23, 26-24, 21-25, 15-6, in the second round.
The Sailors are the favorites to win the Sunset League, which they split with Huntington Beach last season. Edison returns Trent Williams, a senior outside hitter, and another third-place finish in the robust league is likely for the Chargers.
Like CdM, Huntington Beach lost a lot of talent to graduation. Gone is outside hitter Sean Morrissey, middle blockers Shane Holdaway and Davey Kim, setter Tanner Woods and outside hitter Eric Beatty.
Noah Franklin, a senior outside hitter, and Alex Anastassiades, a senior opposite heading to Long Beach State, lead the Oilers. In three of the past four years, Coach Craig Pazanti’s team has won a section crown.
Pazanti is taking Huntington Beach to the Best of the West Invitational at Alliant International University in San Diego. The tournament runs March 10-11, and the Oilers are looking to claim it for a fourth consecutive time.
Newport Harbor, Edison and CdM are also heading down south for the two-day tournament. The Sailors lost to Huntington Beach in last year’s finale.
The rest of the field also includes nine other programs on the section watch list, Loyola, Mater Dei, Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, Oak Park, Palos Verdes, Saddleback Valley Christian, San Clemente, Santa Barbara and Westlake.
How the teams perform in the Best of the West will determine the early favorites to win the top prize in the section.
Other volleyball teams to follow
Costa Mesa and Sage Hill are on the section watch list in their respective divisions, the Mustangs in Division 2 and the Lightning in Division 4.
The Mustangs won’t have the services of Mason Tufuga, who led the program to a playoff win last year, its first since 2009. Tufuga is a freshman at Stanford.
With or without Tufuga, Laguna Beach is the favorite to take first in the Orange Coast League again. Cole Paxson, a senior libero heading to USC, and senior outside hitters Sam Burgi and Pete Obradovich and 6-7 senior middle blocker Barry Greenough are the Breakers’ top players.
Laguna Beach moved up to Division 1, a year after reaching the Division 2 quarterfinals.
Sage Hill opened the season with a five-set win at home against Capistrano Valley Christian on Wednesday. Seniors Parker Warden and Albert Son, and junior Logan Senn lead the Lightning.
Coach Setiam Allah got Sage Hill out of a Division 4 wild-card playoff match last season by sweeping Lakewood Mayfair. Sage Hill lost in three sets to eventual champion Saddleback Valley Christian in the first round.
Twitter: @ByDCP
