Estancia top seed in Div. III

Barry Faulkner

Estancia High, which earned the No. 1 seed in Division III, tops four

league champions from Newport-Mesa that will be competing in the CIF

Southern Section boys volleyball playoffs, after pairings were

announced Monday.

The Eagles (23-6, 12-0 in the Golden West League), open Division

III play Friday at 7 p.m. against visiting Loara.

Corona del Mar (19-10), which did not lose in 10 Pacific Coast League matches, is the No. 4 seed in Division II. Coach Steve Conti’s

Sea Kings have a first-round bye Friday and will open May 18 against

the winner of Friday’s first-round match between Tustin and West

Valley.

Newport Harbor, which won 15 of its last 16 matches, including six

in a row, and ran the table in 10 Sea View League matches, begins the

Division I playoffs Friday at home against St. John Bosco (14-11).

Sage Hill (15-1), which shared the Academy League crown with

Brethren Christian, the first league crown in the program’s four

seasons, is on the road for Friday’s Division V first round. The

Lightning, which lost a coin flip for the Academy League’s No. 1

playoff representative, will meet Camino Real League champion St.

Bernard (10-3) from Playa del Rey for the chance to move on to the

May 18 quarterfinals.

Estancia, vying for its first Southern Section volleyball crown,

reached the Division III semifinals last season with virtually the

same team.

Coach Tracey Ingraham’s Eagles are paced by seniors Josh Kornegay

and Kris Hartwell, as well as junior setter Trevor Holmes.

Loara (10-7) is an at-large entry from the Empire League, after

going just 2-6 in league play.

Newport Harbor, ranked No. 2 in Orange County, should take plenty

of momentum and confidence into Friday’s opener. Coach Dan Glenn’s

Sailors defeated CdM and Woodbridge in five-game battles Thursday and

Friday to cap their strong regular season.

CdM had won six in a row before falling to its Back Bay rival. But

Conti said his squad, keyed by junior twins Kevin and Tom Welch, is

anxious to do better than last year, when the No. 2 seed was swept in

the Division II quarterfinals by visiting Arcadia.