Eagles, Sailors to Meet Again in O.C. Championships Volleyball Final

Santa Margarita's and Newport Harbor’s boys volleyball teams reached the finals of the Orange County Championships by advancing through gold division play Saturday at Edison High. The championship match will take place Monday at 7 p.m. at Edison.

Here’s a recap of the preliminaries:

Most Dominant Team

Santa Margarita -- Mater Dei was undefeated in tournament play until the Eagles beat the Monarchs, 25-22, 25-18, in the semifinals.

“That was the best we’ve played so far,” Santa Margarita coach Bryan Cottriel said.

Other than the 7-0 run Santa Margarita gave up with a 24-15 cushion in Game 1, the Eagles looked like the county’s most dominant team, and firmly established their place as Trinity League favorites.

“Our biggest problem right now is losing focus,” Cottriel said. “But you can see we are a different group when the lights turn on.”

Santa Margarita, ranked No. 2 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 coaches' poll, was in for a rematch no matter which team won the other semifinal. The Eagles swept Newport Harbor on Tuesday and beat Corona del Mar at the Best of the West Tournament last weekend in San Diego.

Outside hitter Spencer Buckley, who finished with 10 kills and three blocks against Mater Dei, is especially excited for Monday’s final for personal reasons. His older brother, Austin, who was a member of last year’s squad, comes to town.

“He hasn’t seen us play this year and he’ll be here Monday,” Buckley said. “Since losing at the Best of the West, we just want to win everything now. We want to beat every team we can.”

Biggest Surprise

Newport Harbor -- Sailors coach Dan Glenn said he was surprised his team was in the finals “with the way we’ve been playing.”

But he also said the Sailors improved every game they played Friday and Saturday, culminated by a sweep over Corona del Mar in the semifinals.

“We’re definitely a different team from when we played Santa Margarita,” Cody Caldwell said. “We’ve improved defensively. We are digging tons of more balls. We are definitely learning how to play mentally.”

Best Turnaround

Mission Viejo -- The Diablos didn’t have it against Mater Dei and got drilled in the quarterfinals, but making the gold bracket was a big boost. Mission Viejo lost to Trabuco Hills last week, but middle blocker Isaac Nielson and setter Seaver Stoll have returned from the CIF basketball playoffs. Reaching the gold bracket has to give the Diablos confidence moving forward with their full group.

Biggest Shock

San Clemente -- The Tritons, listed among "others" in the Division 1 coaches' poll, were in pool play with Newport Harbor and Mission Viejo and expected to reach the gold division. However, San Clemente lost to South Coast League foe Mission Viejo in three games Friday and missed the gold bracket.

###

Team Notes -- Laguna Beach lost a tough match in pool to Esperanza in three games and fell to the silver division. The Breakers trailed, 24-21, in Game 2 before forcing a decisive third.… Part of the reason teams like playing in the OCC is competing against teams outside of league. That didn’t happen with Huntington Beach. The Oilers faced Sunset League foes Fountain Valley, Newport Harbor and Edison in three of their first five matches.… Corona del Mar didn’t lose a match until falling to Newport Harbor in the semifinals. The Sea Kings were seeking a return trip to the finals after losing to Huntington Beach in last year’s championship match.

Player Notes -- Newport Harbor’s Cody Caldwell had 16 kills in the semifinals against Corona del Mar. That’s a giant number in two games.… Mater Dei’s Zach La Cavera could be the top opposite in the county. The senior’s explosiveness was on display Saturday at Edison.… Esperanza’s Andrew Benz is a 6-foot-6 junior and considered a top county recruit at middle blocker. He had the quickest jump of any middle in the gym Saturday.… Santa Margarita’s Mitch Vallis might be the most underrated player in the county. He doesn’t make many hitting errors.… Edison’s Michael Brinkley and Servite’s Ryan Windisch faced each other in morning pool play action in a matchup of two of the county’s top liberos.

###

GOLD DIVISION RESULTS

Semifinals

Santa Margarita d. Mater Dei 25-22, 25-18

Newport Harbor d. Corona del Mar 25-21, 25-19

Quarterfinals

Santa Margarita d. Esperanza 25-18, 25-22

Mater Dei d. Mission Viejo 25-14, 25-12

Newport Harbor d. Huntington Beach 25-22, 25-22

Corona del Mar d. Edison 25-19, 25-22