The boys volleyball playoff schedule has been released and it’s bound to create its share of discussion among Metro Conference and other South County squads.
Ten local teams were penciled into one of five playoff brackets:
- Eastlake received the No. 6 seed in the Open Division;
- Otay Ranch received the No. 1 seed in Division I;
- Hilltop received the No. 4 seed in Division II;
- Bonita Vista received the No. 8 seed in Division II;
- Montgomery received the No. 9 seed in the Division II;
- Castle Park received the No. 1 seed in Division III;
- Sweetwater received the No. 5 seed in Division III;
- San Diego Academy received the No. 11 seed in Division III;
- San Ysidro received the No. 4 seed in Division IV;
- Lutheran received the No. 9 seed in Division IV.
O.K. So, who got the kiss of death? Which teams drew the best seeds?
Eastlake defeated Otay Ranch 27-25, 18-25, 21-25, 25-17, 15-11 on May 4 to win this year’s Metro-Mesa League title out right with an undefeated 8-0 record. The Titans’ reward? Get the No. 6 seed in the Open Division and a rematch against Torrey Pines, a team they lost to in three games earlier this season.
Eastlake has obviously had a great season with an overall 21-8 record. But their playoff draw wasn’t nearly as lucrative as that handed Otay Ranch, which finished behind them in the league standings.
The Mustangs received the No. 1 seed in Division I and, theoretically at least, an easier route to winning a CIF championship.
But that’s why they play the games, of course.
Eastlake is scheduled to play at third-seeded Torrey Pines (21-7) on Saturday, May 14, at 5 p.m. The winner advances to the semifinals against either second-seeded Cathedral Catholic (21-9) or seventh-seeded Westview (24-9).
Torrey Pines defeated Eastlake by scores of 25-17, 25-15, 25-16 in a non-league match on March 25.
The Titans will certainly be motivated in the rematch against the Falcons, who finished second in the Avocado West League standings to Carlsbad (24-7).
What’s interesting is that should Eastlake advance past Torrey Pines, the Titans already own wins this season against both Cathedral Catholic and Westview. In fact, Eastlake has beaten both North County teams twice (and also lost to Westview once).
So, perhaps Eastlake’s playoff road isn’t paved so poorly after all. But being placed in the bottom of half of the Open Division quarterfinals does make the task a bit more daunting.
But for prestige value? That’s definitely on Eastlake’s side.
While the new competition-tier based playoff system has generally rewarded teams (especially from the Metro Conference), the fine line between which teams get promoted to the Open Division and which teams get demoted to the next level down remains a double-edge sword.
You either like it or hate it.
The Metro Conference’s record in the Open Division playoffs isn’t necessarily good, take girls soccer as a prime example. Eastlake lost, 8-1, in this year’s quarterfinal-round of the Open Division playoffs to eventual Division II state champion Cathedral Catholic.
That’s a pretty harsh reward after the Lady Titans excelled during regular season play with a 13-3-3 record.
But, again, that’s why the playoffs are so much fun – and unpredictable. You never know quite what to expect. Not all the top seeds are playing at their peak; some may be resting on their laurels while others have a burning desire to excel.
Maybe it comes down to which teams are simply the hungriest: the teams that simply refuse to lose.
The Titans enter postseason play riding a seven-game winning streak. Included were non-league victories against La Costa Canyon (3-0 on April 28) and Carlsbad (3-0 on May 6).
Eastlake has also recorded non-league wins over Mt. Carmel, Valhalla, Scripps Ranch, St. Augustine, Fallbrook, Point Loma, Pacific Ridge, Westview (twice) and Cathedral Catholic (twice) and lost to Westview, Torrey Pines, Carlsbad, Francis Parker and Otay Ranch.
The Titans lost to Otay Ranch in tournament competition and came back to win both league match-ups. So, who knows what could happen in a rematch?
Exactly.
That being said, Otay Ranch (19-13) will host the winner of Wednesday’s first-round match between eighth-seeded Del Norte (13-16) and ninth-seeded St. Augustine (8-19) on Saturday, May 14. The winner advances to the semifinals on May 18.
The Mustangs are under the guidance of new head coach Mike Pandaan, who is out to pave some new territory for his team. Otay Ranch won three successive Division I championships from 2011-13. However, the Mustangs were eliminated in last year’s Open Division quarterfinals by visiting Mt. Carmel and also lost in the Open Division quarterfinals two years ago to Westview.
There’s a bit of something to prove this season after the last two early postseason exits and a CIF championship would certainly soothe the soul.
Angel Aguiar leads Otay Ranch with 192 kills, followed by Eddie Rosenfeld with 162 kills. Noah Alegrado leads the Mustangs with 158 kills while Evan Diehl tops the team with 761 assists.
Hilltop, after winning this year’s Metro-Pacific League championship, received a bye to the Division II quarterfinals on Saturday, May 14, and will host either fifth-seeded Patrick Henry (18-1) or 12th-seeded Ramona (17-19). Both of the latter teams meet in Wednesday’s opening round.
Ryan Wessel leads Hilltop on the season with 236 kills, followed by teammate Luis Hernandez with 206 kills. Roman Vazquez leads the Lancers with 36 aces and 161 digs while Alex Welch tops the team with 476 assists.
Hilltop posted a superlative 22-8 record this season; the Lancers must still be stinging from last year’s quarterfinal-round playoff loss to a lower-seeded Granite Hills squad, and the year before to a 12th-seeded El Camino team in the first round.
It’s time for some payback.
Bonita Vista (14-10) will visit South Bay League champion Montgomery (19-8) in Wednesday’s first round, with the winner advancing to meet top-seeded Granite Hills (23) in Saturday’s quarterfinals. The Barons made a thrilling run to the Division III championship game two years ago. Can they do it again? If so, they’d have to pull off an upset or two.
Montgomery finished 6-0 in Metro-South Bay League play. Season leaders included sophomore Jesus Rodriguez with 289 kills, junior Francis Carreon with 58 aces, senior Nathan Limcolioc with 343 digs and senior Jimmy Guan with 619 assists.
Bonita Vista finished third in the Metro-Mesa League standings with a 4-4 record.
Castle Park won last year’s Division IV championship and earned promotion to the Division III field this year. The Trojans finished 4-2 in Metro-Pacific League play, 10-5 overall, and have successfully risen to the top in their new division.
Castle Park will host either eighth-seeded Morse (11-15) or ninth-seeded West Hills (15-12) in quarterfinal-round action on Friday, May 13. The winner of Friday’s game advances to the division semifinals on May 17.
Sweetwater, which finished third in the Metro-Pacific League standings, hosts 12th-seeded Lincoln in Tuesday’s opening round, with the winner advancing to play at fourth-seeded El Capitan (18-6) on Friday the 13th.
Citrus League champion San Diego Academy (13-9) opens the Division III playoffs at sixth-seeded Mira Mesa (11-10) on Tuesday. The winner advances to meet No. 3 Serra (17-7) in Friday’s quarterfinals.
In the Division IV bracket, Lutheran (14-11) plays at eighth-seeded High Tech High San Diego on Tuesday, with the winner advancing to play at top-seeded Pacific Ridge (19-2) on Friday. Lutheran finished runner-up to SDA in the Citrus League standings.
San Ysidro, meanwhile, receives a bye and will host either fifth-seeded Classical Academy (7-9) or 12th-seeded Gompers Prep (6-3) on Thursday, May 12. The latter two teams face off in Tuesday’s opening round. The Cougars (10-11) await the winner while remaining on the prowl.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday’s games are 7 p.m. starts. Saturday’s games start at 5 p.m.
May the best teams win!
San Diego Section
Boys Volleyball Playoffs
Division III
First Round/May 10
(5) Sweetwater defeated (12) Lincoln 25-21, 24-26, 25-20, 25-21
Notes: Owen Aguirre had 16 kills, Wyatt Papasin had 13 kills, Arjud Delacruz had 17 digs, Jesse Peralta had 19 digs and Simon Salazar had 39 assists for Sweetwater
(6) Mira Mesa defeated (11) San Diego Academy 25-21, 25-23, 25-19
Division IV
First round/May 10
(9) Lutheran defeated (8) San Diego High Tech 3-1
