Corona del Mar Girls Overpower Royal in 5-A Volleyball Playoffs

Lara Carlsen served the final point in Corona del Mar’s 15-8, 15-9, 15-8 win over host Royal in a Southern Section 5-A Division girls’ quarterfinal volleyball match Tuesday night.

Still, it would have been more appropriate if she had scored the final point while playing at the net. Corona del Mar’s regular-season most valuable player, Carlsen had 17 kills in the victory. She and Tracy Schriber, who added eight kills, caused trouble for Royal all evening.

Corona del Mar Coach Dale Flickinger said Carlsen’s play was “tremendous. There just isn’t any other word I can use to describe it.”

Royal (15-3) countered Corona del Mar’s powerful hitters by digging out many points that appeared lost, creating long, exciting rallies.

“Normally, we win the final game, 15-3, but they stayed with us and kept fighting,” Flickinger said. “Royal played the best defense of anyone I have seen play all year, particularly Wende Brown.”

Brown, a senior, came up with 18 digs.

“The play of Wende Brown was incredible,” Royal Coach Bob Ferguson said. “She didn’t have a lot of kills, but she never quit on defense.”

Royal’s biggest problem was not trying to control Corona del Mar’s firepower. The Highlanders had more trouble scoring.

Brown recorded only nine kills in 33 attempts. Royal’s other power hitter, junior Jennifer Hamilton, mustered nine kills in 26 attempts.

“They are a real powerful team,” Brown said of top-seeded Corona del Mar (22-1). “All of them can hit the ball, but we were handling the ball. They dug out our shots really well and that hurt us.”

Royal, seeded 10th, fell behind, 6-1, in the first game before mounting a small comeback, cutting the Sea Kings’ lead to 8-6. Most of Corona del Mar’s early points came from Schriber. Ferguson put two players on Schriber to contain her, but it merely opened up the rest of the floor for Carlsen. Ferguson couldn’t put enough players on the court to double-team all of Corona del Mar’s hitters.

LANCERS OUSTED--El Toro eliminates Thousand Oaks in four games. C16