MaxPreps Preseason Top 25 Volleyball Early Contenders: No. 5 Corona del Mar

We continue our countdown of the 2015 Preseason Top 25 Volleyball Rankings, presented by Asics, with No. 5, Corona del Mar.

Be sure to check out the previous teams, and come back as we continue to release the top volleyball teams in the country entering the 2015 season.
School division: Southern Section D1AA (largest in California)
2014 record: 25-6 (reached Southern Section semifinals)
Head coach: Steve Astor


Key Returnees:

Payton Carter (Pepperdine): The 5-7 senior libero was first team All-Orange county, first team Daily Pilot Dream Team and first team Pacific Coast League.


Jessie Harris (Princeton): The 5-10 senior setter was Co-MVP of the Pacific Coast League, third Team All-Orange county and first team Daily Pilot Dream Team.


Natalia Bruening: The 6-4 senior was second team All-Orange County, first team Daily Pilot Dream Team and first team Pacific Coast League. In basketball, she was the Daily Pilot's Player of the Year after averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds per game.


Other Returnees: 5-10 senior Carli Cuthbertson, 6-0 junior outside hitter Brooke Cuthbertson, 6-0 senior hitter Sydney Alacano, 5-11 junior Alex Osterberg, 5-6 senior Carly Micheal and 5-8 senior Kylie Jones. Alacano was a starter in 2014.


2015 Outlook: To be a top level program, a team needs a defensive standout (Carter), a setter (Harris) and a front row standout (Bruening). Add six other returnees and CDM has experience and depth. In total, nine players return from talented 2014 squad.


Key Losses: Paige Migliori (Pepperdine) and Katie Craig (Ohio State).


2015 Toughest Opponent: Astor said, "We always have one of the tougher schedules around, playing against Marymount (Los Angeles), then Laguna Beach, and our rivals Newport Harbor. We will compete in the Dave Mohs OC Championships and the Santa Barbara TOC."


Notable: The six teams that beat the SeaKings in 2014 had a combined record of 196-50, and two of those — Marist (Chicago) and Hillcrest (Simponsville, S.C.) — were out-of-state teams.

View entire Corona del Mar preseason photo shoot gallery

Coach's comment: "With our volleyball program, we begin every year with the same phrase: 'Ad Ingenium Faciendum,' Latin for 'toward the building of character,'" said Astor. "This is the foundation of our program and needs to be at the forefront of our minds with everything we do. In order for our family to thrive, the coaches and players need to always have character-building as priority one."