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Four Moore League girls’ volleyball teams learned their CIF Southern Section playoff paths on Saturday morning with the release of the CIF-SS postseason brackets.
Moore League co-champions Wilson and Long Beach Poly lead the way, as the Bruins were seeded No. 3 in Division 2 and the Jackrabbits were seeded No. 3 in Division 3. By seeding, both teams are expected to make runs to at least the CIF-SS semifinals.
Division 2
Wilson (26-8) is No. 3 in Division 2 and will get a first-round bye on Thursday, opening up at home Saturday evening against the winner of Temecula Valley and El Toro.
Bruins coach Chris Ceballos said he’s excited for the draw and to have seen his team rise from No. 6 in Division 2 to No. 3 in the last week.
“It’s going to be a competitive bracket all the way through so we are going to have to play our best volleyball moving forward,” he said. “We got a bye but as we see in the MLB that isn’t necessarily a good thing. I think our leaders on the team will do a good job keeping our girls focused and engaged at practice.”
A unique challenge for Wilson will be having five straight days of practice with no match. If they get through Saturday’s second round they’d advance to a quarterfinal match the following Wednesday, Oct. 25.
Millikan (9-12) pulled a tough draw as they’ll visit No. 2 JSerra in the first round Thursday. Lakewood (16-18) is visiting Vista Murrieta in the first round, looking for yet another big playoff road upset in head coach Mike Wadley’s legendary tenure. This is Wadley’s last season coaching, so the Lancers are playing to extend his career.
Division 3
Long Beach Poly (23-8) received the No. 3 seed in Division 3 and are set up for a nice run, opening at home Thursday evening against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. They’d have a Saturday second-rounder against the winner of Crean Lutheran and Beaumont with a win Thursday.
It’s a big jump for Poly from a fourth-place finish last year that saw a brutal playoff draw.
“I’m excited for the team getting to experience hosting a playoff match,” said Poly coach Gerald Aquiningoc. “I’m proud of this group continuing to set the standard for all future Poly teams moving forward.”
