The much anticipated showdown of the county’s top two teams produced a twist before the first ball was served.

Jane Croson out for Los Alamitos. It wasn’t the only injury news – Newport Harbor was without setter Mackenzi Campbell – but it was the biggest.

A look back at tonight’s match between Newport Harbor and Los Alamitos:

Injury front: Newport Harbor found out before the match Croson wasn’t playing. That sort of news could have caused the Sailors to drop their guard a bit, but they didn’t. Coach Dan Glenn said afterward how happy he was his team’s energy and intensity to start the match.

Game 1: Newport Harbor led 16-15 with Maddy Brown back to serve. The Sailors ran off seven straight points to lead 23-15. Los Alamitos struggled with its service receive. Brown had two aces during the stretch. Katey Thompson was sensational in the middle for Newport Harbor. She had 3 kills, 2 blocks and an ace.

Game 2: The game tied at 6 when another Sailors service streak blew open the game. This time it was provided by Kirby Burnham. The Sailors ran off 8 consecutive to pull ahead 14-6 and never looked back. The Sailors hitters were firing on all cylinders. Thompson, Burnham, Brown and Jackie Graham all made their marks in the game.

Game 3: Los Alamitos had a different bounce in its step to start and the Griffins built a 9-6 lead on Christina Harris’ roll shot. Harris and Alijah Gunsaulus provided the Griffins with a huge spark as the athletic hitters took control. However, Los Al’s lead of 21-14 soon disappeared and the game was tied at 23. Burnham and Claire Castillo came up with a pair of big blocks, and Burnham added a pair of winners during the run. However, a Sailors net violation gave Los Al game point and Gunsaulus closed it out.

Game 4: With Newport Harbor leading 23-15, the match looked well in hand. Yet Los Al rallied and took advantage of four consecutive errors from the Sailors to pull to 23-22. Harris’ kill made it 24-23 NH, and Brown was finally able to close it out.

Analysis: Griffins coach Dave Huber said Newport Harbor is a team that “won’t make a ton of errors. You have to earn points. The balls keep coming back over the net.” Huber felt his team was waiting for things to happen in the first two games, instead of making it happen.

Glenn told his team after Game 2 that Los Alamitos has been in this position before and come back to win. He said he knew “Los Alamitos wasn’t going to panic.”

The key storyline was obviously the absence of Jane Croson. Thompson said afterward the Sailors “know it will be harder next time.” With or without Croson, Los Alamitos has enough to beat Newport Harbor.

They didn’t lose Tuesday just because they didn’t have Croson. They lost because they didn’t execute as well as Newport Harbor. The Griffins were close in the opening game, until a bad stretch of ball control haunted them.

They didn’t play well Game 2, but teams can have an off game in a five-game match.

In Game 3, the audience got to see what Los Alamitos was capable of, and they still weren’t using everyone they could be. If they were able to get everyone involved in Game 4,  a fifth game seemed likely.

However, the Sailors defense is as good as it gets, and Los Al had a hard time getting middles Halli Amaro and Emily Hartong involved.

Afterward, Huber said the hardest part about not having Croson, was that they hadn’t played without her this season, so they lost that consistency. They also lost their most powerful hitter and server, and someone who provides backrow scoring, much like Burnham provides Newport Harbor.

Newport Harbor served tougher, and missed less serves, a winning combination almost always. Croson in the lineup would help equal that out, no doubt.

We’ll see what happens when the teams meet Oct. 27 at Los Alamitos.

Player of the match: It’s too tough naming one person. The Sailors had a lot of girls play well. Kirby Burnham led the Sailors with 15 kills and was second with 15 digs. That’s an impressive stat for a 6’2 outside hitter. Maddy Brown had 12 kills and 12 digs. Katey Thompson had 12 kills and 5 blocks. The trio’s combined numbers are 39 kills, 27 digs, 6 aces and 6 blocks.

More from the girls volleyball blog:

• Girls volleyball: Newport Harbor wraps it up
• Girls volleyball: Los Al escapes with Game 3
• Girls volleyball: Newport Harbor rolls in Game 2
• Girls volleyball: Newport Harbor grabs Game 1
• Girls volleyball: Major news from Los Al-Newport Harbor

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