Newport Harbor’s Conquerors Meet

Manhattan Beach Mira Costa plays at Santa Ana Mater Dei at 7 tonight in the semifinals of the state Division II girls’ volleyball tournament.

The two have a common opponent. Mira Costa (32-3), ranked No. 3 by The Times at the end of the regular season, beat Newport Harbor in four games to win the Southern Section Division II-AA title. The Mustangs also beat the Sailors twice in a pair of three-game matches, including in the championship match in August at the Ann Kang Memorial Tournament in Honolulu.

Mater Dei (34-3), ranked No. 2 at the end of the regular season, won the Southern Section Division II-A crown and has beaten Newport Harbor in four games twice this season, including last week in the state quarterfinals.

In other 7 p.m. state semifinals featuring local teams, Los Alamitos (26-9) plays at Poway (31-5) in Division I, San Diego University (27-6) plays at Santa Margarita (25-7) in Division III and La Jolla Country Day (25-10) plays at L.A. Marymount (33-1) in Division IV.

Marymount is seeking its third consecutive state title.

The finals are Saturday at Cypress College.

-- Paul McLeod

Sophomore Kimberly Donatelli of Ventura Buena continued her superb postseason roll in the state cross-country championships at Woodward Park in Fresno on Saturday when she finished seventh in the Division II final that was the fastest-finishing girls’ field in the 17-year history of the meet.

Donatelli finished third in the Southern Section Division II final at Mt. San Antonio College on Nov. 22 when she ran a school-record 18 minutes over the 2.91-mile layout. But she topped that performance in Fresno with a 17:55 clocking on a 5,000-meter -- or 3.11-mile-course -- in which times are often 20 seconds slower than at Mt. San Antonio.

Donatelli was one of only two girls from the Southern Section to break 18 minutes in the state meet.

The other was senior Liza Pasciuto of Murrieta Valley, who placed second in the Division I race in 17:39.

So how fast was the Division II girls’ final in the state championships?

It was the first race in the history of the state meet in which eight girls broke 18 at Woodward Park and the fourth-, fifth-, seventh-, eighth-, ninth- and 10th-place finishers recorded the fastest times ever for their positions.

In addition, the third-place time of 17:39 was tied for the fastest ever.

-- John Ortega