Cody Caldwell’s plan wasn’t to follow in his older brother Kyle’s footsteps at Newport Harbor High.
Cody is on track.
Cody is the Newport-Mesa Dream Team Player of the Year in boys’ volleyball a year after Kyle earned the area’s top accolade.
It took Kyle until his senior year to receive the award. Cody was just a sophomore.
The two led their respective teams to undefeated Sunset League championship campaigns. The Sunset League honored both as its Player of the Year.
Cody shared it with a teammate. Kyle won it outright and is now playing for UCLA.
Cody has two more years to claim the league’s top prize individually and match or surpass his brother’s accomplishments on the court.
A lot of work is in store for Cody. Getting out of the first round is a start.
Kyle’s team advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division I championship match.
Cody’s team played one round at home and stayed home for good.
The five-game loss to St. John Bosco took a lot out of Cody and the Sailors (24-8). He played hurt, a trainer taped his left foot and right thumb.
Cody wasn’t the same, but he battled, finishing with a team-high 20 kills. Overcoming the pain is something the 6-foot-5, 175-pounder will learn in time.
Cody matured quickly, developing into one of the premier outside hitters in Orange County. He led the Sailors with 461 kills to go along with a .457 hitting percentage, 136 digs, 43 blocks and 24 service aces.
Making Cody dangerous was his ability to hit out of the back row. Anywhere on the court, he blasted winners.
Newport Harbor began to win a lot after taking the top division at the Orange County Championships on March 23. The tournament MVP went to Cody after he recorded a team-best 14 kills in a best two-out-three final against Orange Lutheran.
The match lasted two games because of Cody.
The sweeps continued. The Sailors went 10-0 in the robust Sunset League, entering the postseason on a roll after rallying to defeat Corona del Mar in the Battle of the Bay in the regular-season finale.
The next Newport Harbor comeback attempt ended in the first round, finishing the season on a sour note. An at-large team out of the competitive Trinity League ruined the Sailors’ title hopes.
At the time, Coach Dan Glenn said he believed the Sailors had as good as shot as anybody to win the section title.
Kyle fell short of winning a section crown during his four years.
