CdM peaking at right time
There is one simple characteristic that each coach desires for the team when it’s time for the playoffs. But it’s not so simple to attain.
The coach wants the team to be peaking at the right time, playing at its best when it matters most.
In Corona del Mar High’s case, this desire has been met for Coach Steve Conti and his boys’ volleyball team.
The Sea Kings swept Back Bay rival Newport Harbor in the Sailors’ gym just before the playoffs began in the Battle of the Bay. CdM has kept that fire lit and the Sea Kings remain hot as they approach the CIF Southern Section Division 1 title match.
CdM (27-5) will face No. 2-seeded Los Angeles Loyola (27-2) at Cerritos College Saturday night at 7:30.
The Sea Kings dispatched the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 1 teams in Division 1 to advance to the finals for the second year in a row.
They swept top-seeded Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, 25-17, 25-21, 25-23, in the semifinals.
They rallied from two sets down to dethrone three-time defending CIF Southern Section Division 1 champion Huntington Beach, 20-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-16, 15-7, in the quarterfinals.
Yes, they are hot.
“Our team is starting to play the best volleyball toward the end of the year,” Conti told the Daily Pilot after his team swept Mira Costa. “We’ve been able to grow, just because I think we’re coming together a little bit later than other teams due to some injuries and kids coming from other sports.”
CdM is led by senior outside hitter Sam Kobrine (UCLA) and setter Matt Ctvrtlik (Harvard). Senior middle blocker and junior middle Mitch Haly are also valuable producers for the Sea Kings, the Pacific Coast League champions.
Loyola defeated Beckman, 24-26, 27-25, 25-17, 25-20, in the semifinals at home on Wednesday.
CdM has lost to the Cubs four times in the last five tries. The most recent setback was at CdM on April 16, when Loyola prevailed, 25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 25-22.
