Volleyball

Breaking up was hard to do for Annie Kim, but getting back together has been that much sweeter. Kim and volleyball are together again, a harmonious reunion that is commencing at Irvine Valley College, where the Lasers are ranked No. 18 in the state and Kim is a big part of it. Her play in IVC's victory over No. 7-ranked Fullerton earlier in the week was pivotal at a pivotal point in the season. A 5-foot-8 outside hitter, Kim had 15 kills, three blocks and two aces while hitting .320 in the match.

NEWPORT COAST - First year boys' volleyball coach Dan Thomassen is happy his team had an easy win in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division V playoffs. Sage Hill School (14-7) defeated Orangewood Academy (8-6) 25-8, 25-10, 25-15 Thursday night. But he knows the rest of the ride through the postseason won't be so smooth, especially when he's leading a team devoid of seniors. Two freshmen, three sophomores, and two juniors make up the team's starters. "Without any seniors, our biggest question is maturity, and when we get into tight matches how they handle it," Thomassen said.

On the floor, behind the rest of his Newport Harbor High teammates, Cody Caldwell watches the coach and TV. Dan Glenn instructs. The TV is the visual lesson for Thursday. Glenn has been the head coach of the Newport Harbor boys’ volleyball program since 1987. Breaking down teams, footage, players, he excels at these coaching rituals. Glenn has a good read on Caldwell, almost as well as his parents. He befriended the Caldwells before coaching Cody. Whatever Glenn says about the 6-foot-5, 175-pounder, you can take his words for it. “Cody is not all connected yet,” Glenn said.

With little more than a year of experience, Bradley Reitler is quickly becoming a veteran on the Estancia High boys’ volleyball team. Reitler, a junior middle blocker, hadn’t given the sport much thought until his sophomore year, when Eagles coach Mark Cygan saw him fooling around with a ball after a girls’ match. Cygan asked him to try out, and Reitler became one of the new faces on the team. Cygan was trying to rebuild after losing the seniors that led to the Eagles’ 2006 success.

FRESNO — The Orange Coast College women's volleyball team began defense of its state title with a 30-13, 30-20, 28-30, 30-20 victory over Shasta in the double-elimination tournament of the California Community College Commission on Athletics State Championships Friday. Two-time All-American Kiwi Winkler led the Pirates (22-2) with 29 kills and 12 digs. "I'm proud of the way the girls came out and played a very aggressive style of volleyball," Pirates' Coach Chuck Cutenese said in a press release.

FRESNO — The second day of the California Community Colleges Commission on Athletics State Volleyball Tournament had a little bit of everything for the Orange Coast College women's volleyball team. In the end, the Pirates earned a return trip to the state championship match, slated for today at 1 p.m. OCC will take on today's winner of Sacramento City-L.A. Pierce "Comparing two volleyball teams is like comparing children — you just can't do that," OCC Coach Chuck Cutenese said in a press release.

IRVINE — UC Irvine played host to Long Beach State in a Big West Conference women’s volleyball match Friday night. But the objective observer might suggest the Anteaters were clearly out of their league. For though UCI battled the 49ers to the brink in Games 2 and 3, Long Beach State, winner of eight of its last nine matches, came away with a 30-24, 34-32, 31-29 sweep to solidify its hold on second place, behind conference-leading Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. UCI (16-8, 6-3 in conference)

Marissa Booker made one of the most difficult decisions in her life three months ago. Three years ago, she never saw herself making such a bold move. Booker said goodbye to Vanguard University, a place that allowed her to grow so much as a student, player and coach. She earned her degree and master's in education at Vanguard. She starred in volleyball at the school for three years. She coached at the school for five years, the final three as the women's head coach. The opportunity to pursue her dream is why she left.

Throughout Liz Lord's life, the values learned while playing sports in Newport Beach have been used many times. Now, as she fights in the biggest battle of her life, she clings to those values. Lord was known for being competitive when she played volleyball for Newport Harbor High before graduating in 2002 with a full-ride scholarship to the University of Portland. Not much has changed. She still wants to win. When she was diagnosed with brain cancer and was told that the tumor found was inoperable and incurable, Lord didn't back down.