At the end of the regular season we finally have a new No. 1. It’s been a tough season with tournaments providing some great matchups to shift the top 10.
Unfortunately, injuries are also a factor. The undefeated San Clemente Tritons endured a severe blow after USC commit Lucas Yoder suffered a concussion last week and may be out for the rest of the season.
San Clemente is attempting to patch the hole that Yoder left defensively and offensively, after suffering two losses to Dana Hills and Otay Ranch.
Mira Costa slides into the top spot after a dominant display at the Karch Kiraly Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions and the Redondo Varsity Classic, taking home both titles while going undefeated. The Mustangs are heads above other teams with their balanced game.
Otay Ranch jumps in after making a trip up to Los Angeles to test themselves against the Southern Section teams at the Redondo Varsity Classic. The Mustangs finished 3rd after beating San Clemente in the quarterfinals 25-23,18-25, 15-11.
NorCal powerhouse Archbishop Mitty made another good statement at the Karch Kiraly Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions, earning a spot in the top ten this week.
Southern section regional play will start next week.
1. Mira Costa (29-2)
The Mustangs have battled their way to the top with an impressive fight at the end of the season. They bested the field at the Santa Barbara Karch Kiraly Tournament of Champions beating Valencia, Archbishop Mitty (in a tight 5 gamer), Corona del Mar and Bellarmine for the title. They took care of Bay League rivals Redondo Beach in three and went 8-0 at the Redondo Varsity classic with wins over Loyola and Palos Verdes in the final. Senior outside hitter and USC commit Riley Mallon was named MVP at the Classic. The Mustangs are operating at a very high level right now with an extremely well-rounded game and will grovel for every point.
2. Loyola (26-3)
The Cubs were on a roll until they met up with rival Mira Costa in the semifinal of Redondo Mira Costa Varsity Classic. The Cubs were up, 20-18, in the first game before Costa started the comeback to win, 26-24. Both teams were playing some of the highest level of volleyball that has been played in Southern California this year. The Cubs continue to rely on senior UCLA commit Jackson Bantle as their go-to offensive outlet and share setting duties between senior UCLA commit Hagen Smith and Princeton commit Chris Kennedy.
3. San Clemente (29-2)
The Tritons had a great 23-0 run until senior outside hitter Yoder fell, injuring his head with a concussion skateboarding home. Yoder will precautious be out for the rest of the season after suffering some bleeding around his brain. He has been the offensive outlet and passed the majority of the court this year. They suffered their first loss of the year to Dana Hills in three in league play and lost to a very feisty Otay Ranch in the Redondo Varsity Classic quarterfinals. They just finished up their regular season with a win over Capistrano Valley to share the South Coast title with Dana Hills. The Tritons will have to step up to fill the hole that Lucas left, but they should still make it past a few rounds in playoffs.
4. Dana Hills (24-4)
The Dolphins ended San Clemente’s 23-0 win streak in an abrupt fashion, 25-17, 27-25, 26-24 in a league match last week. Junior UCLA commit Christian Hessenauer had 18 kills and was a monster from behind the service line. They finished up league play with a win over Tesoro this week and as co-South Coast League Champs with San Clemente.
5. Palos Verdes (28-5)
The Sea Kings went 7-1 at the Redondo Varsity Classic taking down Otay Ranch, who beat San Clemente in the quarterfinals. They faced the well-oiled machine of Mira Costa in the final and lost, 25-22, 25-19. The Sea Kings lost to Mira Costa again this week but should give post-season play the best odds they’ve ever had with a very well-rounded lineup.
6. Huntington Beach (26-2)
The Oilers have been on a roll since they left Hawaii, beating Edison, Newport Harbor and Los Alamitos in straight sets. Their win over Newport Harbor marked a Sunset title. T.J. DeFalco and Andrew TenBrink had 12 kills for the Oilers and Long Beach State commit Zach Gates added 11. The Oilers have one more match this week over Edison before postseason play.
7. Otay Ranch (27-4)
The Mustangs have made their way into the top 10 rankings after taking down San Clemente at the Redondo Varsity Classic. They have been deemed giant slayers after beating an undefeated Loyola at the Redondo Varsity Classic last year. This year the Mustangs lost some key starters to graduation but CSUN commit Andrew Freiha and Jared Arias are explosive offensive weapons.
8. Esperanza (21-3)
The Aztecs traveled north to the Santa Barbara Karch Kiraly Tournament of Champions to defend their title, but came up short when they faced NorCal powerhouse Bellarmine and lost in straight sets. They will play Laguna Beach this week to close out their regular season play.
9. Archbishop Mitty (23-5)
The volleyball powerhouse where Kerri Walsh is an alum, made a statement in SoCal after finishing fifth at the Karch Kiraly Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions. The Monarchs pushed No. 1 Mira Costa to five games and have great ball control and passing from libero Matthew Aguirre a UC Merced commit.
10. Corona del Mar (18-9)
The Sea Kings remained in the top 10 after heading up to the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions and finishing fourth. They beat Clovis West and Dos Pueblos but fell to Mira Costa and Esperanza.
