NORWALK – The Corona del Mar boys volleyball team on Saturday showed a level of resiliency that has come to define the program over the years.
CdM (31-5) dropped the first two sets against Oak Park in the CIF Southern California Division II Regional final, but regrouped to force a fifth and deciding set, then had to hold off a late Oak Park charge to emerge with a 16-25, 25-27, 25-18, 25-18, 15-10 victory.
“They ran a higher offense than we’re usually accustomed to,” CdM’s Kevin Fults said. “It took us a while to get our timing down.
“First two games they played really great, so hats off to them, but we figured out the timing. We didn’t play our best the first two sets, but we figured it out.”
This is the second consecutive regional title for the Sea Kings. Last year they won after losing in the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal.
CdM led 11-7 in the fifth set, but Oak Park mounted a rally, scoring three consecutive points to cut the lead to 11-10, forcing CdM into a timeout.
After the break, the Sea Kings set their sights on ending the match. Ryan Moss, Augie Miller and Sam Kobrine had consecutive kills and Moss later ended it with an ace.
“They’ve been through some wars,” CdM coach Steve Conti said. “We’ve fallen short in a couple of these matches. Sophomore year, the seniors now, lost to St. John Bosco 17-15, last year we lost to Loyola, 16-14, in the fifth. … Even though we didn’t play at the level we played at last Saturday, I think this is kind of a gutsy win.
“They had to dig deep for this one in a different way than we did last week against Huntington Beach (in the CIF-SS Division 1 finals) because the energy in here was a little bit different.”
Moss led the Sea Kings with 19 kills. Sam Kobrine added 18. Fults led CdM with 19 digs. Matt Ctvrtlik had 53 assists. Will Hunter and Augie Miller had nine kills apiece.
This is the third regional title for the Sea Kings, having previously won in 2011 and last year.
Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com
