SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS : County Teams to Be Featured in Doubleheader

The Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor girls’ volleyball teams will play a Southern California Regional final doubleheader Tuesday night at the Corona del Mar gym.

Corona del Mar, top-seeded in Division I and top-ranked in USA Today’s national poll, will play Stockton St. Mary’s in a 7 p.m. match. Newport Harbor, top-seeded in Division III, will meet second-seeded South Torrance in the Division III final at 5 p.m.

Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar are among six Orange County teams still in contention along with Laguna Beach (Division I), Sunny Hills (Division II) and Capistrano Valley Christian and Calvary Chapel, both in Division V.

Winners advance to Saturday’s State finals at Cal State Fullerton.

Corona del Mar (22-0) is 87-6 in games played this season, including tournament victories at the Orange County Championships and the Chicago Divers Sports Challenge. St. Mary’s (33-2) is the second-seeded team from the Northern regional.

Division I finalists from the Northern and Southern regionals are cross-matched for the finals, meaning Laguna Beach, seeded third in the Southern regional, will play at Mountain View St. Francis, top-seeded in the Northern California regional.

The Artists (22-2) are coming off a big victory at Poway in Saturday night’s semifinals and are seeking a rematch against Corona del Mar, which swept Laguna Beach in the section finals Nov. 21. Rachel Wacholder, who had 32 kills against Poway, leads the Artists’ attack.

Corona del Mar, led by outside hitter Jennifer Stroffe and setter-hitter Kim Coleman, is seeking its second State title in three years.

Newport Harbor (17-4) has swept its two regional matches and faces South Torrance (16-5), which has rebounded from being swept by Torrance in the section Division III finals. The Sailors are led by sophomore outside hitter Misty May and freshman setter Jenny Hecker.

Sunny Hills (21-2) will face its third tough road match in the regionals, playing at Del Mar Torrey Pines Tuesday.

After losing in the section finals to Bishop Montgomery, Sunny Hills has responded with victories at Pacific Palisades Palisades High and at Bakersfield Highland. Outside hitter Rachel Hochgesang and setter Carolyn Sarnecki lead the Lancers.

Top-seeded Capistrano Valley Christian, the defending State Division V champion, will play Calvary Chapel in the regional final, the third meeting between the teams this season. Capistrano Valley Christian (20-0) won the first two meetings.

Outside hitters Kathleen Bunce and Karen Benkovsky lead Capistrano Valley Christian, which has lost only one game in seven playoff matches. Courtney Owens and Sara Roberts are Calvary Chapel’s top hitters.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL PLAYOFFS

Finals

(Winners advance to Saturday’s State finals at Cal State Fullerton)

All matches 7 p.m. unless noted

Division I

Stockton St. Mary’s at Corona del Mar

Laguna Beach at Mountain View St. Francis

Division II

Sunny Hills at Del Mar Torrey Pines

Division III

South Torrance vs. Newport Harbor, Corona del Mar HS, 5 p.m.

Division V

Calvary Chapel at Capistrano Valley Christian