The Sea Queens could not handle the tidal wave that the Breakers brought in the form of a volleyball match. CdM fell to Laguna in three games.

The first game began in favor of the Breakers; CdM got off to a slow start, losing by six points right away. The Sea Queens attempted to fight back with kills by juniors Hailey Senske, Morgan Boukather, and seniors Amanda Nickel and Sydney Brombal. However, these efforts were not enough to win the game.

“We got off to a really slow start, and it really hurt us in the end,” said senior Madie Smith.

To start off the second game, Mary McKennon served the first ace of the match, followed by another kill by Senske. Madie Smith and Claire Ham were blocking machines and Brombal had several kills. However, the Breakers seemed to be too much for the Sea Queens. The final score ended up 25 to 22 with another loss for CdM.

“The second game was such a close game, and I’m really bummed we lost,” said junior Catherine Sullivan.

The atmosphere changed when the third game began, and the Sea Queens got off to a rocky start and were soon down to 17 to 9.

The Sea Queens ended up losing their third game with a score of 25 to 18. CdM added to their score from kills by Senske, Ham, and Brombal, and digs from Katelyn Baker.

“The team as a whole maintained a positive and focused attitude throughout the whole game and although Laguna triumphed over the mighty Sea Queens, one defeat won’t ruin their perfect season,” said freshman Shannon Griffin and sophomore Ashley Kelegian.

“ I was really sad that we lost, but hopefully we can beat them next year,” said junior Megan Griffin.

The Corona del Mar Sea Queens are becoming quite used to being second best. On Monday, September 21, the girl’s varsity volleyball team competed in the annual Dave Mohs Memorial Tournament Division 1 championship. And in what seems to be a common reoccurrence for the Sea Queens, they received second place.

“I’m really happy with the way we played,” said senior co-captain and middle blocker Amanda Nickel, “its amazing that we got so far. We had a great tournament.”

On the first day of the tournament, the Sea Queens, seeded number 2 in the tournament, beat Newberry Park 25-15, 25-16, and El Toro 25-19, 25- in the first portion of pool play. On the second day of the tournament, CdM beat Mater Dei 25-17, 25-23 in the last round of pool play.

In the first round of playoffs, the Sea Qeens beat Palos Verdes, and then proceeded to beat number 5 Orange Lutheran in the quarterfinals.

“The Orange Lutheran Game was tough, and every single person on the court had to play their part, and well,” said junior middle blocker Claire Ham.

The Sea Queens proceeded to defeat number 3 Santa Margarita 25-17, 25-23 in the semifinals.

“That was one of our best matches,” said co-coach Jim Downey of the game.

CdM played Los Alamitos in the tournament finals, who went into the tournament number 1. The Sea Queens started strong, and beat the Griffins in the first game 23-25. However, that game marked the end of CdM’s tournament-long winning streak.

The Sea Queens fell to the Griffins in the next two games, losing 25-15 and 15-6.

“I’m happy with the way we played. We worked hard. They just served us out of our system,” said co-coach Darryl Gan.

Second place in the Dave Mohs tournament marks the fourth silver for the Sea Queens. Last year, CdM lost to Redlands East Valley in the CIF finals and southern section state finals. This year, the Sea Queens lost to Dos Pueblos in the finals of the Queen’s Court Tournament that took place in early September.

“The last CdM team who went to the finals of Dave Mohs won CIF,” said senior setter and co-captain Madie Smith, “so I’m really excited for this season. This is just the beginning.”