Sierra Canyon, Alemany to play in Division 1
One of the Daily News area's most competitive girls volleyball rivalries could see one more match this season.
Alemany and Sierra Canyon were both placed in Division 1 when the CIF Southern Section playoff brackets were released Saturday morning.
“I would love to play them again,” Alemany coach Morgan Wijay said after the last time the two teams met. “We'll play anyone. We'll have fun.”
Alemany (23-7 overall, 7-3 Mission League) and Sierra Canyon (33-6, 10-0) played twice this season with the Trailblazers winning both matches by a score of 3-1 to help them secure the Mission League title. But in order for them to meet again, they'll have to get through their respective eightteam pools to secure a spot in the championship match.
Alemany will play at Huntington Beach, which was ranked No. 3 in the final CIF-SS poll, in its first match on Wednesday before taking on No. 2 Mira Costa and No. 7 Los Alamitos. Sierra Canyon hosts No. 5 Marymount in the first round of pool play Wednesday, then will see No. 8 Palos Verdes in the second round and will travel to No. 1 Mater Dei for the third match.
Mater Dei beat the Trailblazers, 2-1, this season in the Durango Fall Classic.
“The fact that the top eight have to battle it out and kind of prove where they stand, it's a great format and we're excited to be included in the topeight group again,” Sierra Canyon coach Stefanie Wigfall said. “I think just last year showed us to just battle no matter what and you can find yourselves in the finals.”
Sierra Canyon earned its second Mission League title this season after joining the league last season and is going for back-to-back CIF-SS Division 1 championships. The Trailblazers swept Mira Costa last year for the Division 1 crown.
“It's the teams that continue to get better over the course of the playoffs that will ultimately be peaking a week and a half, two weeks from now,” Wigfall said. “We're highlighting the things we want to add and bring into playoffs so that we're not the same team that we were two months ago.”
The Division 1 playoffs will be conducted in a pool-play format and begin on Wednesday. All other divisions will play in single-elimination brackets. Wild-card round games are Tuesday and the first round Thursday.
All matches are slated to begin at 6 p.m.
Oaks Christian (Marmonte No. 1, 20-8), bye
Chaminade (Angelus No. 1, 19-7) vs. Newport Harbor (Surf at-large, 15-15)
Village Christian (Olympic No. 1, 258) vs. La Salle (Camino Real No. 2, 15-12)
Redlands (Citrus Belt No. 1, 27-5) vs. Buckley (Liberty No. 2, 10-6) Anaheim Canyon (North Hills No. 1, 18-3) vs. Saugus (Foothill No. 3, 28-5)
Long Beach Poly (Moore No. 1T, 23-8) vs. Notre Dame (Angelus
No. 3, 12-14)
Hart (Foothill No. 1, 20-6) vs. Yucaipa (Citrus Belt No. 3, 18-9) DIVISION 4
West Ranch (Foothill No. 1, 16-2) vs. Burroughs (Pacific No. 4, 14-15) Royal (Coastal Canyon No. 1, 23-6) vs. Bishop Diego (Tri-Valley No. 2, 19-13)
Thousand Oaks (Marmonte No. 2, 19-4) vs. Dos Pueblos (Channel
No. 2, 13-9)
La Serna (Del Rio No. 1, 12-10) vs. Flintridge Sacred Heart (Angelus No. 2, 21-16)
Camarillo (Coastal Canyon No. 2T, 9-15) vs. Valencia (Foothill No. 4, 7-13)
Quartz Hill (Golden No. 1, 20-12) vs. Louisville (Angelus at-large, 17-12)
San Gabriel (Almont No. 2, 13-13) vs. Moorpark (Coastal Canyon
No. 2, 5-9)
Santa Clarita Christian (Heritage No. 1, 17-4-2) vs. Paraclete-Lancaster wild-card winner
Highland (Golden No. 2, 21-7) vs. Trinity Classical Academy (Heritage No. 2, 14-5)