Division 1: Long Beach Poly vs. Mira Costa, 6 p.m.
The Jackrabbits host Mira Costa in the best match perhaps anywhere in Southern California this evening, with Division 1’s No. 8 and No. 9 teams meeting. Poly will be the slight underdog, although that’s mostly academic in a meeting of the Moore League champions and the No. 2 team from the Bay League.
Poly (29-7) has perhaps not played its best match of the year yet, but a three-set road win over Lakewood to close the Moore League regular season was a nice note to enter the playoffs on. Poly setter Liz Schuster is playing with grit and tenacity, and she has a wealth of weapons in Allanah Cutler, Onye Ofoegbue, Taylor Walker, Adonia Faumuina, Rylie McGinest, Samoana Poyer, and others. There aren’t many teams in the nation with two better middles than Ofoegbue and McGinest, and Poly’s success will likely depend on their passers’ ability to let Schuster get them involved.
If Sofia Skukan and Alexis Durand pass the ball the way they did against Lakewood, Poly could be moving on to the quarterfinals, where they’d likely face top-seeded Mater Dei in a match at Poly next week. A win would also clinch Poly a berth into the state playoffs.
The Mustangs’ players to watch include Memphis Glasgow and Rochelle Scott.
