Newport Harbor to take on Salinas for state title

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After a 300-mile round-trip bus ride to Dos Pueblos of Goleta for the semifinals Tuesday, the road to Saturday's championship match is around the block.

Newport Harbor's girls volleyball team plays Salinas at 7 p.m. in the CIF State Championships at UC Irvine's Bren Center, which is less than 10 miles from the Newport Harbor campus. It's the Sailors' first appearance in the title match since winning the crown in 1999.

Salinas (29-4) is the CIF Central Coast champion. It's the Cowboys' first state title appearance.

"The kids are so excited," Newport Harbor coach Dan Glenn said. "We expect a lot of people from Harbor are going to go since they couldn't go to Dos Pueblos."

It is Glenn's sixth appearance in the Division I championship match since taking over the program in 1987 and seventh overall. Newport Harbor won the CIF-SS title before losing in the state final that season.

The Sailors won their first state title under Glenn in Division III in 1992. Newport Harbor lost in 1993 after returning to Division I. They reached the final the following season and earned their first Division I title with Glenn. However, after closing the decade with two more, the Sailors haven't returned to the final since the new millennium.

"I'm enjoying it a lot more," Glenn said. "The girls this year are just a fun team to watch. I also understand a little more about being ready to go. I used to stress a lot about little things. Now with the whole thing I'm not sweating the small things.

"When it comes to practice and working on the fundamentals, it's about the small things. I haven't changed there a bit."

For Newport Harbor, nothing is more fundamental than controlling the ball. The Sailors were one of the few teams capable of beating Dos Pueblos because of its passing and digging.

The Chargers' previous two losses were both to Archbishop Mitty of San Jose, the No. 1 team in the nation according to PrepVolleyball.com. They hadn't lost a five-game match in five tries this season before falling in the decisive game against the Sailors on Tuesday.

In that match, Newport Harbor recorded 34 total kills from their middle blockers – 25 from Katey Thompson – and tallied 56 digs for the match.

"They definitely can pass the ball," said Huntington Beach coach Craig Pazanti, whose team lost to Newport Harbor in the quarterfinals. "They also dig as well as anybody. They have a team that will be in every match. They play hard and dig a bunch of balls and give kids a chance to score.

"If their middles have 34 kills, nobody can beat them. You have to tribute what they do to the back court. Their ball control leads to their success."

Newport Harbor's options begin with Thompson in the middle and continue with Kirby Burnham and Maddy Brown on the outside. Add setter Cinnamon Sary, libero Kelly Heenan, and defensive specialist Mackenzie Campbell, the Sailors aren't lacking at any position.

"They have balance," Pazanti said. "They have a great setter. They have the most experienced and successful coach running the show."