CdM still reigns in Battle of the Bay

NEWPORT BEACH – The Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor boys volleyball teams had met earlier this season ahead of Friday's annual Battle of the Bay match.

In the finals of the Orange County Championships back in March, the Sailors swept the Sea Kings in a best 2-of-3 match.

With city bragging rights at stake, the Sea Kings (22-6) were able to write a different ending.

Behind Parker Brown's 22-kill, eight-dig performance, visiting CdM again laid claim as the city's best, defeating Newport Harbor, 22-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-20 in the final match of the regular season for both teams.

CdM was won three consecutive matches in the Battle of the Bay series.

"I'm proud of the whole team," Brown said. "Everybody played their part. After losing the first game, we realized we didn't want to lose to them again."

Brown certainly has reason to be proud, thanks to a solid match from the rest of the Sea Kings.

Jack Reed had 11 kills and five blocks. Remy Lamons added nine kills and six blocks. Kevin Gordinier and Thomas Hunter had five apiece.

Setter Joe Ctvrtlik had 45 assists. His brother Eric had four blocks and five digs.

"It was a team effort," CdM coach Steve Conti said. "That's what makes this so great. We've started a lot of starting lineups this year. It was great that we can some guys to come off of the bench. Guys went in and did their thing.

Conti also pointed to the decision to switch serving styles as another key.

"We have four or five guys that jump serve and we were serving out or hitting the ball to the best passer in the gym (Newport Harbor's libero Max Richley)," Conti said. "I thought we had a better opportunity to control the ball and keeping with our game plan by not serving their libero, by float serving and I thought that was crucial for us."

Kevin Rakestraw led Newport Harbor (21-9) with 19 kills. Clay Carr and Pierce Ward had 14 and 11, respectively.

Both teams will now turn their attention toward the CIF playoffs. The Sea Kings will compete in Division 2 and the Sailors are in Division 1. The pairings will be released Saturday.

Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com