Sage Hill seeded No. 1

volleyball pairings storyGirls’ volleyball team enters the postseason as top seed. Sailors, Eagles and Mustangs also earn playoff berths.The Sage Hill School girls’ volleyball team will enter the CIF Southern Section Division IV-A playoffs as the top seed, highlighting playoff pairings released Sunday.

Playoffs in all divisions begin Tuesday.

Newport Harbor will be competing in Division II-AA, while Estancia and Costa Mesa are both playing in Division III-A.

The Lightning (23-8), the top seed for the first time in school history, will be shooting to improve on last season when they lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Western Christian.

Being the top team, however, will be a challenge, Sage Hill Coach Dan Thomassen said.

“Everyone wants to beat the No. 1 seed,” he said. “But, hopefully, our experience from last year will help us.”

The Lightning, who shared the Academy League title with St. Margaret’s, have a bye in the first round and play host to the winner of Tuesday’s first-round match between Murrieta Calvary Chapel (15-6) and Upland Christian (9-3) at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Sage Hill, led by seniors Cat Dailey, Vista Murphy and Haywood Wright, along with junior Kelsey Lawler, defeated Calvary Chapel earlier in the season. That could be beneficial in Thursday’s match, should Calvary reach the second round, Thomassen said.

“We’ve seen their strengths and weaknesses, so maybe we can pick on some of the weaknesses,” he said.

St. Margaret’s (19-9) is the No. 2 seed, setting up a possible rematch with the Lightning in the championship match.

The Lightning and the Tartans split two league matches this year.

“St. Margaret’s is one of the top, if not the top contender,” Thomassen said. “They’re more experienced than us.”

Newport Harbor (20-7), the Sea View League champion, will play host to Katella (14-9) at 7 p.m. Tuesday in a first-round matchup.

The Sailors, led by senior Bryana Carey, junior Coco Yokoyama and sophomores Megan Munce and Jamie Heenan, are in an extremely tough bracket, Coach Dan Glenn said.

“This is the strongest bracket I can remember in a long time for the girls,” Glenn said. “There are eight or nine teams that have a shot at making the final, and we think we’re one of them.”

The Sailors finished off the regular season with eight straight wins, and won 17 of their last 18 contests.

“I think we’re playing really well right now,” Glenn said. “The kids are excited [about the playoffs.]”

Estancia (15-6) is at Orange Lutheran, the Empire League champion, in Thursday’s first round at 7 p.m.

The Eagles, who finished second in the Golden West League, are plagued with injures, Coach Jim Huffman said.

Sarah Braunsdorf, the team’s leading outside hitter, is out until at least Nov. 15 with an injured knee, Huffman said, while juniors Taylor Brown and Stacie Wilson are battling nagging injuries.

“We’re just trying to limp across the finish line,” he said. “It sure would have been nice to go in healthy with all the bodies, but we limped through a lot of other matches and came out ahead.”

Costa Mesa (12-13), the Golden West League’s third team, visits Rosary at 7 p.m. Tuesday in a wild-card match.

A victory would propel the Mustangs into Thursday’s first round at No. 2-seeded Twentynine Palms.

Corona del Mar, which won its seventh Southern Section title last season, did not reach the playoffs for the first time in recent memory.