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Los Angeles Times
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
CdM boys' volleyball overpowered by Mira Costa
MANHATTAN BEACH — Corona del Mar had not lost in more than a month, but with a hot start on its home floor, Manhattan Beach Mira Costa reminded the spectators why it was the top seed in the CIF Southern Section boys' volleyball playoffs. Mira Costa took charge with heavy jump serving in claiming 12 of the initial 14 points, as the Mustangs stampeded past the Sea Kings 25-13, 25-21, 25-20 to secure a spot in the Division 1 final. The power ratings prevailed, as the top seed in each pool of the top division advanced. Mira Costa (31-2), a finalist a year ago, will meet Huntington Beach (34-3) in the section championship match on Friday, May 16 at 7 p.m. at Cerritos College. 'It definitely sticks,' said Mira Costa coach Greg Snyder, whose team was the runner-up to Los Angeles Loyola last year. 'I think whoever loses the CIF finals has a clear advantage for the next one. They just get hungrier. If you just look at the track record of what's happened, I think it hasn't been since Newport [Harbor] that they've won twice in a row. 'Usually, the team that finishes second the year before wins the next year. I'm hoping that's the case this year. I hope that trend continues, but we'll have to play it and find out because Huntington's a very, very good team.' Senior setter Andrew Chapin distributed 31 assists to go with three service aces, three kills and three block assists to lead the Mustangs. Sophomore outside hitter Mateo Fuerbringer had nine kills and three aces. Apart from its serving, Mira Costa also made matters difficult for CdM (23-6) with its defensive effort, both in retrieving balls on broken plays and in blocking. Early in the third set, junior libero Justin Warner tracked down a ball near the back wall, and senior opposite Grayson Bradford eventually finished the play. 'It's a momentum-killer,' Snyder said of Warner keeping the point alive. 'It crushes their spirits, a play like that. I'm not saying they gave up or anything like that, not at all, but when you're in a tough rally and a play like that happens and you lose that point, it does take a toll mentally on a team. … They still fought hard, … but that was a big play. … It gave us momentum back.' Senior outside hitter Thatcher Fahlbusch added 11 kills and two block assists. Senior middle blocker Alex Heins produced eight kills and five block assists, and junior middle blocker Wyatt Davis contributed three additional block assists for the Mustangs. Corona del Mar was attempting to reach the CIF finals for the second time in three seasons (the Sea Kings lost to Newport Harbor in 2023), which would have been its 18th championship game appearance overall. Junior outside hitter Ben Brown's 11 kills paced the Sea Kings. Junior setter Drake Foley dished out 25 assists. Junior opposite Brady Gant (seven kills) and junior middle blocker Jack Robinson each finished with 1½ total blocks. Gant had a team-high seven digs, and UCLA-bound libero Brogan Glenn contributed five digs. 'We knew that going in, that we couldn't give them any free balls, any opportunities,' CdM coach Katey Thompson said of facing the Mustangs, who are now 3-0 in head-to-head matches this season. 'Our goal was to try to make them earn them. Clearly, that didn't happen in the first set, but hopefully this is something we can learn from as we go into regionals. 'I think every time that we've played them, we've gotten a little bit better, so hopefully we're able to utilize this.' Corona del Mar, which earned a pair of four-set victories over Beckman and San Clemente in pool play, awaits the CIF State Southern California regional playoffs. Those brackets will be released on Sunday, May 18.
Los Angeles Times
13-03-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Newcomer Ben Brown helps lead CdM boys' volleyball to sweep of rival
Around these parts, the Battle of the Bay is known as one of the fiercest rivalries in high school sports, and the turnout on Wednesday evening at Newport Harbor reflected that. Corona del Mar's Ben Brown, a junior outside hitter who moved here from the Chicago area, knew nothing of the sort, though he played a starring role in his first match against the Sailors. Brown had 15 kills and 1½ blocks to lead the visiting Sea Kings to a 25-20, 25-15, 25-21 sweep of the Sailors in a Sunset League match. 'This is Ben Brown's first Battle of the Bay,' CdM coach Katey Thompson said. 'It's funny. We asked him before, 'Have you ever been in anything like this?' He goes, 'Oh, yeah. Totally.' Game starts, I was like, 'There's no way.' [It was] Just an electric atmosphere.' As is customary for the matchup between the two programs that have produced a combined 15 CIF Southern Section championships, the fans did well to fill up the stands. The Newport Harbor student section appeared to be enjoying a theme night, with many in the Tar Pit wearing professional sports jerseys. 'I think this is just crazy,' said Brown, a transfer from Elmhurst (Ill.) York. 'I've never had that much students come to my games. It was always just the parents, so having the team, your friends behind you cheering for you, that's great. The other fans, they were just motivating me. It's great. I love the atmosphere, and I feel like it just helps me be more present in the game.' Sophomore middle blocker Daniel Booker didn't start, but the second-year varsity player's presence was certainly felt. He supplied four kills, two solo blocks and three block assists. Booker and Brown brought energy in their on-court play and post-point celebrations. 'I love to get loud,' Brown said. 'I'm a big team [chemistry] guy, and the more I celebrate, the more our team comes together. The more we're having fun, the better we play.' Drake Foley, a libero outside of high school, was asked to take on setting duties by the Sea Kings' coaching staff. The junior contributed 29 assists, seven digs and 2½ blocks. 'Setting's new to me, but I played setter when I was younger,' Foley said. 'Just coming into practice every day and working on it really challenges me to [hone] my craft and to stay disciplined, and also to be accountable for my teammates, too.' Brogan Glenn, a UCLA-bound libero, had seven assists, five digs and two service aces. Foley and Glenn each were credited with a kill resulting directly from a defensive effort. 'It's super fun,' Foley said. 'I love volleyball. It's just awesome to be out there and get a kill off a dig.' Foley had a solo block to cap the first set and a kill to end the second set, before setting up junior outside hitter Hunter Hanneman (10 kills, two aces) for the match-clinching kill. Junior opposite Brady Gant finished with six kills, eight digs and two total blocks. Junior middle blocker Jack Robinson also had three kills and three block assists. Corona del Mar (8-4, 2-1 in the Sunset League) placed fifth in the Best of the West at Poway High over the weekend. The Sea Kings have won five of their last six matches. Newport Harbor (10-5) played its Sunset League opener on Wednesday. The rivals meet again at CdM on Friday, April 4. Junior opposite Henry Clemo had 14 kills to pace the Sailors, with junior outside hitter JP Wardy also contributing 10 kills. Junior setter Charlie Von Der Ahe distributed 26 assists while largely running the offense in the first and third sets. Senior outside hitter Wyatt Nichols added six kills, and junior middle blocker Zachary DeMaio had five kills for Newport Harbor. Matt Johnson assumed the head coaching duties at Newport Harbor after Andrew Mabry took a college coaching position as an assistant at Kansas State. Mabry guided the Sailors to their sixth section title as a program in 2023. The Sailors made a run in the third set and were even at 19-19 in the final game. 'That's the way we've got to play from the start,' Johnson said. 'I said it to the boys before we started, 'You just got to play hard from 0-0.' You can't wait until you're down 2-0 [on sets] in the match to play like that. We're in the 10s, and we're making huge moves, and it's working for us. You got to hold onto that feeling and just keep going with that.' At the onset of league, Johnson said the Sailors have shown 'flashes' of their potential. 'League is just starting, and league is really what matters the most,' Johnson added. 'We've shown a lot of good flashes, a lot of good potential. We're just going to keep getting back in the gym and grinding away and figuring out more ways to win.'
Los Angeles Times
23-02-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Prep softball preview: Kai Minor and Orange Lutheran take aim at a title
The attention that comes with being one of the top high school recruits in the nation at their position can be a distraction for many players but not so for Orange Lutheran senior center fielder Kai Minor. For her, the game is all about winning, and coming so close last year only to lose to Garden Grove Pacifica in the Southern Section Division 1 championship game fuels the fire for her and her teammates to get back to the finals and win. Minor desires to leave an indelible mark on the program and what better way to do so than to deliver a section title? 'The culture,' Minor said when asked why she signed with Oklahoma in November. 'It was a good visit to Norman and reflects everything I'm about. I'm looking forward to this season and getting ready for the next level. We have more pitching depth than last year.' Minor is one of six seniors on a roster that includes seven freshmen and three sophomores. She leads by example, but is vocal when she needs to be: 'It'll be my role to coach them up at times … I'll say, 'Hey, this needs to get done.'' Orange Lutheran opened at No. 4 in top-20 rankings for the Southland and will look to defend its Trinity League crown behind Minor, shortstop and Mississippi commit Madelyn Armendariz (who like Minor plays club for OC Batbusters) and UCLA-bound pitcher Jo Marsh, a junior transfer from Los Alamitos. Although hitting is her favorite aspect of the game, Minor is a terror on the basepaths and has played center since she took up the sport as a youngster. 'I like it because it gives me room to run left or right, forward and back,' she said. Minor batted a team-best .420 with 29 base hits, 19 RBIs and four home runs with a team-high .540 on-base percentage as a junior and she has picked up right where she left off — contributing six hits, four RBIs, three runs and an .889 slugging percentage as the Lancers beat Corona Santiago, Great Oak and Riverside Poly at the Norco Showcase in Chino Hills last week. No one appreciates Minor's talent and skill more than longtime assistant coach and Orange Lutheran alum Jenny Miklos, whose dad, Steve, has piloted the program since Miklos was a junior. 'Kai has all the physical tools you need and over the last four years has really improved in the mental aspect of this sport,' said Miklos, who went on to play at Concordia University in Irvine. 'She's the fastest player I've ever coached, she has a great attitude at the plate and excels at not chasing bad pitches. She's batting third in the lineup right now but she's great in the 1 or 2 spot or wherever we put her. She doesn't try to do too much. 'She has supreme confidence in the people behind her. She's a natural lefty and we'll rely on her leadership a lot this season. It's one of the stronger teams we've had. We have five pitchers we can rely on.' Orange Lutheran has a demanding schedule and could run into No. 2 Anaheim Canyon at the upcoming Dave Kops Tournament of Champions or Carew Classic in Anaheim (April 3-5). The Comanches possess one of the elite infields in Orange County, led by Brigham Young -bound first baseman Irma Urincho, Augusta University commit Victoria Oropeza at second and California-bound shortstop Jade Diaz. 'It's not about me,' Minor insisted. 'It's about honing in on the games we have coming up.' Here are other players to watch this spring: Taelyn Holley, Sr., OF, Murrieta Mesa The Rams' leadoff hitter and Tennessee commit powered her team to the Division 1 semifinals a year ago while scoring a California-best 59 runs and batting .598 with 11 home runs to earn state junior player of the year. She posted a .708 on-base percentage, swiped 14 bags last spring and is the catalyst for an offense that figures to score plenty of runs again after averaging 9.5 per game in 2024. Alyssa Galindo, Sr., P, Etiwanda It is rare for a pitcher to also be the team's best hitter, but such was the case for the Eagles last season. The Michigan State commit racked up 51 hits, 36 RBIs, 12 homers and scored 24 runs, and posted a 10-2 record with two saves and 111 strikeouts for a sparkling earned-run average of 0.83. She earned Division 3 player of the year after leading the Eagles to 31 wins and a piece of the Baseline League title. Brooke Stephens, Sr., OF, JSerra Led the Lions in hits (35), runs (23), triples (4) and stolen bases (8) as a junior. She went three for three with a triple and three runs scored in an 8-0 tournament victory against California last April and had two clutch singles in her team's 3-2 come-from-behind triumph over La Mirada in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs. McKenzy Becerra, Sr., 3B, Ayala Made the All-Southern Section Division 2 team last season after getting 39 hits, driving in 43 runs, belting five homers, eight doubles and four triples, and batting .488 — all team highs. She was a big reason the Bulldogs captured the Palomares League crown. Addison Moorman, Sr., P, Granada Hills She has been the City Section's premier performer in the circle the last two years and will be motivated to cap her final campaign in green and white with a title after the Highlanders lost back-to-back Open Division finals to Carson. She had a 1.14 earned-run average with 195 strikeouts in 129 1/3 innings as a junior. She recorded 19 strikeouts and no walks in a 14-inning, 1-0 loss in the City title game last May. Mia Cortez, Sr., SS, Arlington One of the top returners in Riverside County and an All-Southern Section Division 3 first-team selection last year, Cortez turned heads as a junior after slugging .833, with 35 hits, 24 RBIs and 17 doubles while posting a .530 average and a 1.401 OPS. The Lions moved to the Sunbelt League after finishing second in the River Valley last spring and Cortez will need to be sound defensively again. She had 26 putouts and 25 assists as a junior. Alyssa Torres, Jr., C, Valley View Played catcher and shortstop and earned All-CIF Division 2 first team honors as a sophomore. She was the Eagles' stat leader in almost every offensive category: batting average (.513), on-base percentage (.566), slugging percentage (1.157), total hits (59), runs (51), RBIs (55), homers (20) and doubles (12). She is one of three team captains this year. Sofia Hernandez, Jr., 3B, Whittier Christian The Arizona State-bound infielder was overshadowed by teammate Aleena Garcia (now at UCLA) last year but has the spotlight all to herself this spring. She had 48 hits, 30 RBIs, 13 doubles, four homers and 36 runs while batting .490 as a sophomore. She also topped the Heralds with 12 stolen bases. Mattea Stern, So., OF, Garden Grove Pacifica Paced the Division I champion Mariners with 36 hits and 20 steals and was second in runs scored (29) as a freshman. She was also third on the team in batting average (.456) and saw action in 27 of 29 games. Stern cannot afford a sophomore slump if the Mariners want to three-peat as they lost 10 players to graduation, including three first-team all-state picks.
