Signal Photos

Signal Community Sports

CIF sets girls volleyball matches

Local teams learn playoff opponents as brackets are released

Posted: November 7, 2010 9:47 p.m.
Updated: November 8, 2010 4:55 a.m.

Valencia, Saugus and West Ranch all had a chance to claim a share of the Foothill League girls volleyball title heading into their regular-season finales.

In the end, the Vikings stood alone atop the league once again.

Now, all three squads will turn their attention to the CIF-Southern Section Division I-A playoffs.

The playoff brackets were released on Sunday, and Valencia and Saugus will host first-round matches while West Ranch will hit the road.

Santa Clarita Christian will also travel for its first-round match in Division IV-A, while Trinity Classical Academy will host a first-round match in Division V-A.

The Vikings (16-10) will host Estancia of Costa Mesa in the first round at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Estancia is the No. 3 seed out of the Orange Coast League, and the Eagles went 8-10 during the regular season.

In two league matches against Div. I-A No. 4 Laguna Beach, the Eagles were swept in three games both times.

Last season, Valencia advanced to the second round of the Division I-A playoffs. The Vikings are the only Foothill League team ranked in the latest Division I-A rankings, where they sit at No. 8.

Foothill League runner-up Saugus, meanwhile, will host Orange Coast League runner-up Calvary Chapel of Santa Ana at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Calvary Chapel, whose mascot is also the Eagles, went 8-9 during the regular season. The Centurions beat Calvary Chapel 1-0 in a shortened match at the University Irvine Tournament in early September, led by six kills from outside hitter Jaclyn Clark.

The Eagles played a tough preleague schedule that included Bonita of La Verne, St. Margaret’s of San Juan Capistrano and Valencia of Placentia. They didn’t lose any league matches other than a pair of sweeps at the hands of Laguna Beach.

Saugus (27-5) fell in the first round of the Division I-A playoffs last season.

After finishing third in the Foothill League, West Ranch (16-14) will travel to face PAC 7 champion San Luis Obispo.

The Tigers are 24-6 this season and led by junior opposite Elizabeth Culpepper and junior outside hitter Jessica Chellsen. Culpepper leads the team with 205 kills, while Chellsen has 123.

Senior setter Kennedy Peters has 663 assists, but West Ranch head coach Nate Sparks said his team will focus on shutting down Culpepper and Chellsen.

“It looks like they have two main girls that they go to,” he said. “If we shut them down, we should be just fine.”

Sparks also feels that his team could surprise San Luis Obispo. The Wildcats are the third seed out of the Foothill League, but they did have a chance to share the league title late in the season.

“We’ve discussed this before,” he said. “We said whoever comes out third, they could be upsetting some team in the playoffs.”

If West Ranch wins, a date with Division I-A No. 2 Redlands East Valley seems likely in the second round. Valencia could face No. 9 El Dorado in the second round, while Saugus would likely face No. 6 Los Osos.

The Wildcats lost in the second round of the Division I-A playoffs in 2009.

Santa Clarita Christian will travel to face Holy Family of Glendale at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The Gaels are 12-12 overall and they won the Horizon League with a perfect 8-0 record. Their three main offensive threats are junior outside hitter Ashlee Sandoval, senior middle blocker Valerie Dominguez and junior middle hitter Aurora Aguirre. All three have recorded more than 90 kills this season.

Senior setter Rebecca Sanchez, meanwhile, has a team-high 466 assists to go along with 144 digs.

Trinity will host Southwestern Academy of San Marino on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Knights are No. 7 in the latest Division V-A poll and they won the Omega League.

Related Topics

Comments

No comments have been posted.

» LOG IN & POST COMMENT

The Signal encourages readers to interact with one another. We will not edit your comments, but we reserve the right to delete any comments and media. We will delete comments and media that could be considered as:
  • damageable, injurious, defamatory, libelous toward persons or organizations
  • obscene, vulgar, profane, abusive, bullying, harassing or threatening
  • ethnically or religiously offensive; discriminatory; self promotional or advertising
  • promoting illegal or criminal acts; impersonation of another person or entity
To report offensive or inappropriate comments, e-mail abuse@the-signal.com. The content posted from readers of the-signal.com does not necessarily represent the views of The Signal or Morris Multimedia. By submitting this form you agree to the terms and conditions listed above. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

 
Video 1 of 5


Powered By
Morris Technology
Please wait ...