San Diego Section boys volleyball champions will be crowned in five playoff divisions during May. The Open Division will include eight teams while Division I, Division II, Division III and Division IV will each include 12 teams.
From that field of 56 teams (not including play-in games), the five division champions will emerge.
The first round in Division III and Division IV will take place Tuesday, May 8, followed by first round play in Division I and Division II on Wednesday, May 9.
Quarterfinals in Division III and Division IV are scheduled Friday, May 11, and in Division I and Division II on Saturday, May 12.
Semifinals in Division III and Division IV are scheduled Tuesday, May 15 and in Division I and Division II on Wednesday, May 16.
Championship games in Division III and Division IV are scheduled Friday, May 18, at St. Augustine High School.
Championship games in Division I and Division II are scheduled Saturday, May 18, at St. Augustine High School.
Any necessary play-in games will take place on Monday, May 7.
The Open Division playoffs will be conducted in a double-elimination format, starting with the first round on Tuesday, May 8, and following with the second round on Thursday, May 10, the third round on Saturday, May 12, and the fourth round on Tuesday, May 15.
All games will be played at the home of the higher-seeded team.
An additional elimination round, if necessary, is scheduled for Thursday, May 17 at the home of the higher-seeded team.
The Open Division championship game is scheduled Saturday, May 19, at St. Augustine High School. A state play-in game will precede the division final at the same site.
Locals only
How do South County-based teams figure in the mix?
Sweetwater wrapped up no worse than a co-championship in the South Bay League after sweeping host Chula Vista by scores of 25-22, 25-21, 25-18 on Thursday.
The Red Devils improved to 8-0 in league play with two games remaining.
San Ysidro and Chula Vista are both 5-3 in league play.
Sweetwater swept visiting San Ysidro in three games on Tuesday.
The Red Devils began the season by finishing second in a six-team crossover pool at the National City Host Lions tournament in National City. Sweetwater then rolled to a three-game win streak in non-league play.
The Devils absorbed eight losses in a tournament in Las Vegas but, according to coach Erik Hernandez, “gained a lot of experience as well as it elevated our offense and defense.”
Since returning home, Sweetwater has won eight consecutive games (all in league play).
During the current win streak Hernandez computed his team is averaging a 25-15 set win.
The SuHi coach called this year’s team “well rounded.”
“They play really good defense and back it up with strong offense from all positions,” Hernandez explained. “Their experience has carried them and allowed them to elevate their skills. Every senior we have has been in our varsity program for three years and has seen other opportunities slip away.
Along with eight seniors on this year’s team, the Devils also have five underclassmen that provides the team with what Hernandez referred to as “a lot of depth.”
Sophomore Joshua Magtoto leads the Sweetwater offense. He started as a freshman last year after being brought up to the varsity team halfway through the season.
“He is a threat every time he touches the ball,” the SuHi coach noted.
Setter Warren Walter has also elevated the offense. Hernandez called Smart “a setter who helps everyone around him get better.”
The rest of the field contributes every game evenly, Hernandez said.
The Devils close out regular season play with a game at Mar Vista on Tuesday, May 1, and against visiting Mater Dei Catholic on Thursday, May 3.
Sweetwater, which will be included in the Division III playoff bracket, is competing in this weekend’s Scripps Ranch Invitational tournament.
“We are currently low in the playoff seeds because we lost eight games in Las Vegas, which hurt our power rankings,” Hernandez explained. “We are hoping to add some more league wins and this weekend’s tournament helps us get a higher ranking.
“Division III is very tough this year. Classical Academy, San Marcos and Coronado and a few more teams are also doing really well and create a strong top eight field.”
Fallbrook is currently ranked No. 1 in the division, though Clairemont (15-3) has the best win-loss record in the division.
Classical Academy is 16-4 on the season, followed by San Ysidro (13-7), Chula Vista (11-6), Serra (11-6), Escondido Adventist (12-7), Coronado (14-9), Fallbrook (12-8), Liberty Charter (16-11) and Sweetwater (14-12).
Otay Ranch and Eastlake closed out this week in a tie for the lead in the Mesa League standings with 9-1 league records.
Otay Ranch swept host Montgomery in three games on Thursday to prevent a possible three-way tie for the league lead.
Montgomery and Otay Ranch both sported 8-1 league records following Tuesday’s slate of games.
Montgomery swept host Hilltop by scores of 25-13, 25-13, 25-15 to move into a tie with Otay Ranch.
Otay Ranch improved to 19-7 overall after topping Oxnard (25-14, 25-22) and Oak Park (27-25, 21-25, 15-10) on Friday (April 27) to start pool play 2-0 in the Redondo Power Classic.
The Mustangs host Eastlake in a key Mesa League matchup on Tuesday, May 1, and then close out regular season play by hosting Bonita Vista on Senior Night on Thursday, May 3.
Eastlake improved to 12-5 on the season after topping Morse by scores of 25-5, 25-12 to face off play in the Scripps Ranch tournament.
The Titans swept host Olympian on Tuesday to improve to 9-1 in league play.
Otay Ranch edged Eastlake in four games, 3-1, on April 5 after losing 3-1 to visiting Montgomery two days earlier.
Logan Clark paces Otay Ranch with 253 kills, followed by Roan Sharkey and Ben Daniels with 155 kills each. Daniels leads the team with 46 aces while Sharkey leads the team with 65 blocks.
Joel Aninipok Jr. leads the Mustangs with 281 digs, followed by Clark with 159 digs.
Tyson Duran paces Otay Ranch with 576 assists.
Division standings
La Jolla has the top win-loss record among Division I schools at 29-4, followed by Point Loma at 23-5, Sage Creek at 21-5, La Costa Canyon at 17-6, Otay and Westview at 19-7, Eastlake at 12-5, Francis Parker at 18-8, Mt. Carmel at 13-7, Torrey Pines at 18-12, Mission Hills at 12-9, Rancho Bernardo at 12-10 and Pacific Ridge at 14-13.
St. Augustine has the top win-loss record among Division II schools at 15-1, followed by Granite Hills at 18-3, Montgomery at 19-5, San Pasqual at 21-6, Orange Glen at 13-4, Helix at 12-4, San Dieguito Academy at 19-15, Santana at 12-10 and Olympian at 13-11.
Madison tops Division IV schools with a 12-2 win-loss record, followed by O’Farrell Charter at 23-6. Southwest is fourth in winning percentage. High Tech High Chula Vista is 10-10.
2018 Metro Conference
Boys Volleyball Standings
(Through April 27)
Mesa League
League/Overall
Otay Ranch 9-1, 19-7
Eastlake 9-1, 12-5
Montgomery 8-2, 19-5
Olympian 3-7, 13-11
Bonita Vista 3-7, 3-14
Hilltop 2-9, 7-17
Castle Park 1-7, 5-13
South Bay League
League/Overall
Sweetwater Red Devils 8-0, 14-12
San Ysidro 5-3, 13-7
Chula Vista 5-3, 11-6
Southwest 3-5, 11-10
Mar Vista 1-6, 6-9
Mater Dei Catholic 1-6, 5-14
