NEWPORT BEACH – Before the season began, Corona del Mar boys volleyball coach Katey Thompson made a big ask of junior Drake Foley. She wanted him to become the Sea Kings setter instead of its libero.

Foley’s response? “OK, coach. Teach me how to set.”

Wednesday night, in a game and environment that packs as much pressure as any game this side of the Southern Section playoffs, Foley showed what kind of student he is. He had 26 assists and a couple of kills as Corona del Mar defeated rival Newport Harbor in three games, 25-20, 25-15, 25-21.

The sweep in the Sunset League matchup took place in front of a great – and occasionally raucous – crowd at Newport Harbor High, so much so that the Sailors fans received a yellow card from officials.

By that time, Newport Harbor was already down two games, though it showed a lot of fight in the third, even holding a 16-14 lead at one point and tying it at 19-19 after Henry Clemo’s cross-court kill. But CdM’s Hunter Hannemann had a block and three kills among the last six points to close out the victory – including the last two points. He finished with eight kills.

Ben Brown, a transfer from Chicago who has fit into the CdM culture beautifully and sets the tone on the floor, led the Sea Kings with a match-high 13 kills.

“He’s a great asset,” Foley said.

The victory improved Corona del Mar’s record to 8-4 overall, 2-1 in the Sunset League. Newport Harbor dropped to 10-5 and 0-1.

“We were disciplined, focused, talking to each other after every point,” Foley said after watching his team make only two attack errors. “Even when we were down we had each other’s back.”

That down period was in the third game, but prior to that, CdM was mostly in control.

In Game 1, the teams were tied at 14-14 when Corona del Mar scored four in a row with Foley serving – the second four-point run of the game for him – to take command. Newport never got closer than three points after that, and the game ended with Foley pushing the ball to an empty spot on the floor – one of his two kills.

CdM opened up a 9-2 lead in the second game. But after a couple of kills by Clemo made it 9-4, Newport never got closer than six points.

“The third game is the way we have to play from the start,” said Newport Harbor interim coach Matt Johnson, who replaced Andrew Mabry in late January after he took an assistant’s position at Kansas State. “You can’t wait until you’re down 2-0 in the match. It’s all about determination and having the right mindset. I don’t think it’s too tough to come out swinging. … Every single point matters.”

It was certainly a playoff-level atmosphere, so it was a good experience for both teams. “The experience is important,” Johnson said, “but we still need to play well.”

There may have been anxiety – for both teams – because of the rivalry. These are historically powerful program whose players have grown up alongside each other. They often root for each other when they’re not on opposite sides of the net.

But it was CdM’s night in a nice bounce back since its last five-game match, a sweep at the hands of Huntington Beach. That loss, Thompson said, and winning the way that it did at Newport Harbor in the first round of league play “is a huge boost for our program. … It affirms what the boys are doing and the direction we’re going.”

Certainly, they owe a lot of that to Foley, who had never set before this season.

Drake Foley’s transition from libero to setter was highlighted in Corona del Mar’s sweep, 25-20, 25-15, 25-21, of rival Newport Harbor in a Sunset League match Wednesday, March 12. (Photo by Martin Henderson)

“We’re a big believer in getting the seven best players on the floor,” said Thompson, whose team reached the section semifinals and Southern California Regional playoffs in 2024. “(Foley) was a big component of our success last year.

“He’s one of the hardest-working kids we have in the gym. He’s naturally a libero, but he’s also the guy who will do whatever it takes to win.”

In front of an electric crowd, Foley did exactly that.

“It gets me out of my comfort zone,” Foley said of the position change. “But it’s fun.”

Winning always is.

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