Playoffs turning to high gear

Bryce Alderton

Three high school boys volleyball teams from Newport-Mesa will all

compete on the road in their respective CIF Southern Section

divisional quarterfinal matches tonight at 7, joining local squads in

baseball and softball, as well as individuals in boys tennis, that

will all face postseason competition today.

In volleyball, Newport Harbor (19-11) will attempt to reach the

Division I semifinals for the first time in three seasons.

The Sailors, Sea View League champions who have won six straight

and 11 of 13, face second-seeded Loyola (26-5) after sweeping both

Huntington Beach and Capistrano Valley.

With a win, the Sailors would face either fourth-seeded Redondo or

Los Alamitos in the semifinals.

All semifinal volleyball matches will be held Wednesday at neutral

sites.

Senior outside hitter Brett Perrine has 31 combined kills in the

Tars’ two playoff victories.

CdM, the No. 2 seed in Division II, will vie for its eighth trip

to the semifinals in nine seasons when it faces Villa Park (25-9) for

the first time this year. The Spartans have won 21 straight matches

since falling to Northwood, two games to one, in the Orange County

championships March 19.

The Sea Kings have played just one five-game match this season, a

victory over Woodbridge March 9.

CdM would face either third-seeded Arcadia or San Marcos in the

semifinals.

Defending Division III champion Estancia (21-9), the No. 4 seed on

a six-match winning streak, faces Beverly Hills (23-5). The Eagles

have swept their first two playoff foes, San Gorgonio and Adolfo

Camarillo. Senior Trevor Holmes has tallied 48 assists to go with 15

kills in the Eagles’ two wins.

A win would vault the Eagles into a semifinal against either

top-seeded Orange Lutheran or Garey.

In baseball, Corona del Mar (16-9), which won the Division IV

championship last spring, begins its playoff quest in Division III

with today’s first-round contest against visiting La Serna (14-11) at

3:15 p.m.

CdM, which finished second in the Pacific Coast League, defeated

La Serna, runner-up in the Del Rio League, 7-3, in its season opener

March 4.

CdM would face either Orange or Don Lugo in the second round

Tuesday.

The Corona del Mar and Sage Hill softball teams will also be on

the road in their first-round playoff games today.

The Sea Kings (16-10), fresh off a 1-0 win over JSerra in

Wednesday’s wild-card round, will attempt to reach the second round

for the first time in the program’s history with a win against St.

Paul in a Division IV contest at 3:15 p.m.

The Sea Kings have won five of their last seven and would battle

Cabrillo of Lompoc or Buena in Tuesday’s second round.

CdM, which won its first playoff game -- a 5-2 wild-card victory

over Mary Star of the Sea last spring -- made its first trip to the

postseason in 2001.

Sage (12-7), winners of three straight, face Whittier Christian

(13-5) at 3:15 p.m. With a win, the Lightning would face Mojave or

Notre Dame Academy in the second round Tuesday.

Corona del Mar senior Wesley Miller, Newport Harbor sophomore Jake

Fleming and Estancia junior Scott Braunsdorf, along with two doubles

teams from CdM and one from Costa Mesa, have all qualified for the

CIF Southern Section individual tennis championships that begin

today.

Miller, the two-time defending Pacific Coast League singles

champion, along with Fleming, who finished second in the Sea View

League, check in at 11 a.m. and 8:45 a.m., respectively, for their

singles matches at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center. Braunsdorf,

runner-up for the Golden West League singles crown, checks in at 8:45

a.m. at Whittier Narrows Tennis Center in South El Monte.

Matchups will be determined after players check in.

CdM seniors Spencer Reitz and Matt Chou, along with senior

teammates Sean Pham and Alex Nguyen, check in for competition at noon

and 10 a.m., respectively, at Costa Mesa Tennis Center. Reitz and

Chou defeated Pham and Nguyen for the league doubles championship.

Pham and Nguyen reached the round of 16 last season.

Costa Mesa’s doubles team of Brian Nguyen and John Dang, fresh off

their Golden West League doubles title, check in at 10 a.m. at the

Costa Mesa Tennis Center.

Winners of today’s first two rounds advance to the round of 16,

scheduled May 27 at the Seal Beach Tennis Center. The quarterfinals

are also scheduled for May 27 with the semifinals and finals slated

for May 28.