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    Corona del Mar boys volleyball beats Newport Harbor to keep league race tight
    • April 1, 2026

    NEWPORT BEACH – It was a must-win match for Corona del Mar’s boys volleyball team.

    “Oh, we needed this one badly,” said Corona del Mar senior setter Drake Foley.

    The Sea Kings got what they needed. They beat Newport Harbor in four sets, 24-26, 27-25, 25-16, 25-16, Tuesday in a Sunset League match at Corona del Mar High.

    Corona del Mar went into the Battle of the Bay matchup with a two-match losing streak. The Sea Kings lost to Edison and Huntington Beach in league last week.

    Sea Kings 6-9 middle blocker Daniel Booker had a team-high 17 kills. Senior outside hitter Ben Brown added 16 kills, senior outside hitter Hunter Hannemann had 13 kills, Foley had 19 assists and senior middle Jack Robinson had six blocks.

    Corona del Mar (22-5 overall) is in second place in the Sunset League with a 7-2 record. Huntington Beach, which plays at Los Alamitos in a league match Wednesday, is in first place at 7-1.

    Newport Harbor (21-8) is 5-4 in league and Los Alamitos is 4-3.

    “This a great bounce-back match for us,” said Corona del Mar coach Katey Thompson. “It was the energy we needed. Newport came out and played really well in that first set. Then we figured it out and became pretty efficient.”

    Corona del Mar briefly led early and midway through the first set. Newport Harbor senior outside hitters Henry Clemo and Alex Wick and senior middle blocker Mats Arens scored the points to push the Sailors to their 26-24 first-set win.

    Hannemann’s scoring kills led Corona del Mar to a 6-1 lead early in the second set. Newport Harbor had a 23-21 lead on a Zach De Maio kill. The Sea Kings outscored the Sailors, 6-2, from there with Brown, who has a team-high 146 kills this season, scoring the set winner on a rainbow push over Newport’s front line for the winner, 27-25.

    Corona del Mar had the momentum and did not relinquish it. The Sea Kings led the third set from the start and won it, 25-15, to go ahead 2-1 in sets.

    The teams traded the lead in the fourth set. Foley fed Booker for winning kills and the Sea Kings took the final set, 25-16, and the match.

    The Sea Kings had a pretty good reward for their win, too. The Newport Rib Co. supplied a postgame meal to the winning team. A table was set up at midcourt where Corona del Mar players enjoyed the feast.

    Corona del Mar is 2-0 against Newport Harbor this season. The Sea Kings defeated the Sailors in four sets in a league match on Feb. 18 at Newport Harbor.

    Newport Harbor plays at Marina in a Sunset League match Friday. Corona del Mar has a long break until its next match, a league match on April 15 at Fountain Valley.

     

    ​ Orange County Register 

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