Santa Margarita Defeats Newport Harbor Again to Win O.C. Championships

Spencer Buckley put the final touch on his MVP performance, sending one last kill to the floor to lift Santa Margarita to the Orange County Championships Division 1 title with a victory over Newport Harbor in three games, 25-12, 23-25, 15-11, Monday night at Edison High.

Buckley, who finished with eight kills, was joined by teammate and junior middle blocker Mitch Vallis on the all-tournament team. Vallis also had eight kills Monday night.

Newport Harbor’s Cody Caldwell and Ian Sequeira were selected to the all-tournament team as well. Mater Dei’s Zach La Cavera and Corona del Mar’s Evan Dean rounded out the final two spots.

“I’m really excited,” said Santa Margarita coach Bryan Cottriel, who earned his first OCC crown as coach. “I’m even more excited for this group of guys that they finally got a tournament title.”

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Not As Easy As Last Tuesday

Santa Margarita swept Newport Harbor in nonleague play last week but had a tougher go Monday night.

The Eagles were poised for a sweep in two games, leading 21-18 in Game 2. Newport Harbor already used both its timeouts and it looked bleak for the Sailors.
However, three points later, Caldwell tipped down an overpass and the score was tied at 21. Caldwell delivered kills on four of the next six points and Newport Harbor forced a decisive third game.

“We battled back,” Newport Harbor coach Dan Glenn said. “We had too many errors in the beginning and you can’t do that against a team like that.”

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Santa Margarita's “Newcomer” Progressing

Meet Matt Macdonald, the only starter on the Eagles who didn’t start last year.

He had a quick start Monday, recording two kills by the time Newport Harbor used two timeouts, the second coming trailing 13-6.

“He’s coming along,” Cottriel said of Macdonald. “He’s still making a few unforced errors, but you can’t replace his 6-foot-7 presence at the net. You can’t make up for that.”

Not only has Macdonald’s play at opposite allowed Cottriel to put Vallis in the middle, where Vallis’ quick jump can be used effectively, but his move into the starting lineup has also been a smooth transition from a chemistry standpoint.  

“Matt’s playing great,” said setter Taylor Hammond, who finished with 25 assists Monday. “We all fit in. We are all tight. It’s been an easy adjustment.”

As for Vallis, he’s been everything Cottriel thought he would be.

“I knew all along Mitch was going to be as good as he is,” Cottriel said.

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Game 3 Recap

The turning point came with the score tied at eight. Newport Harbor was whistled for a net violation, followed by a kill from Macdonald, then another violation on Newport Harbor to make it 11-8 Santa Margarita.

The Sailors came as close as 12-10 on a kill from Caldwell, but a kill from Buckley gave the Eagles their first match point at 14-10.