The 29-9 Santa Margarita Eagles had their best win of the season on September 21: a five-set Trinity League thriller over Mater Dei at home, and they are the No. 1 seed in the SoCal side of the CIF Division I state tournament bracket.

Another CIF SoCal D1 team to keep an eye on is Harvard-Westlake, which knocked off Southern Section Division 1 No. 3 seed Temecula Valley and also pushed Open Division selection Marymount to five sets at the end of October. 

The first-round matchup between La Jolla Country Day and Corona Santiago could be the match to watch in the SoCal side of the D1 state bracket. The Sharks of Santiago have two days to get ready for a LJCD squad which lost in the San Diego Section Open Division first round and has been off for about a week. 

On the NorCal side of things, North Coast Section Division 1 runner-up James Logan earned the No. 1 seed and will be the likely delegate from the north headed to Santiago Canyon for the state title match.

Watch the CIF State Championship matches, Dec. 1-2, live right here on FloVolleyball.

*Live coverage in SoCal available through Spectrum.

SoCal Division 1 Teams

1. Santa Margarita (29-9), Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinalist

2. Long Beach Poly (30-6), Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinalist

3. San Juan Hills (23-13), Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinalist

4. Harvard-Westlake (19-10), Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinalist

5. Bishop’s (25-8), San Diego Open Division semifinalist

6. Orange Lutheran (18-13), Southern Section Division 2 champion

7. La Costa Canyon (19-13), San Diego Section Open Division participant

8. Corona Santiago (31-6), Southern Section Division 2 runner-up

9. La Jolla Country Day (24-9), San Diego Section Open Division participant

10. El Dorado (25-8), Southern Section Division 2 quarterfinalist

11. Garces Memorial (24-8), Central Section Division 1 semifinalist

12. Esperanza (30-7), Southern Section Division 2 semifinalist

13. Liberty (21-8), Central Section Division 1 semifinalist

14. Granada Hills Charter (22-9), Los Angeles City Section Open Division champion

15. Ramona (26-9), San Diego Section Open Division participant

16. Palisades (26-4), Los Angeles City Section Open Division runner-up

SoCal Division 1 Players To Watch

(In alphabetical order)

Erin Anderson | Junior | Opposite | Santiago  

In four CIFSS postseason matches, Anderson has recorded 66 kills in 14 sets (4.7 kills per set), hitting at a very efficient .492 clip.

Courtney Buzzerio | Senior | Setter/Opposite | Orange Lutheran

The 6-foot-5 Indiana signee recorded 20 kills and18 assists in a Division 2 Southern Section finals win over Corona Santiago.

Sarah Cizek | Senior | Setter/Opposite | Santa Margarita

In the postseason, Sacred Heart signee Cizek is averaging 3.9 kills per set (39 in 10 sets) and hitting .289.

Elise Ferreira | Junior | Setter/Opposite | Liberty

As a setter, Ferreira has recorded 441 assists on the season, in addition to averaging 3.0 kills per set hitting .275 for Liberty. 

Samantha Francis | Freshman | Middle Blocker | La Jolla Country Day

Freshman Francis is currently averaging 3.1 kills per set and has a hitting percentage of .390 for the season. 

Sarah Smevog | Senior | Libero | Santiago

San Jose State signee Smevog is averaging about 17 digs per match on the year. She posted a season-high 33 digs in Santiago’s Southern Section Division 2 championship loss.

Perri Starkey | Junior | Outside Hitter | Garces Memorial

Starkey’s .368 hitting percentage is impressive for a go-to outside hitter who averages 3.8 kills per set. 

NorCal Division 1 Teams

1. James Logan (36-4), North Coast Section Division 1 runner-up 

2. Ponderosa (33-4), Sac Joaquin Section Division 2 champion

3. Buchanan (33-7), Central Section Division 1 runner-up 

4. Palo Alto (23-4), Central Section Open Division participant 

5. Lick-Wilmerding (24-5), Central Section Division 4 champion

6. Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep (22-12), Central Section Open Division participant 

7. Branson (23-6), North Coast Section Division 4 runner-up 

8. Bishop O’Dowd (28-7), North Coast Section Division 2 champion

9. Pleasant Grove (24-11), Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 semifinalist 

10. Tracy (33-10), Sac-Joaquin Division 1 semifinalist 8

11. Campolindo (29-9), North Coast Section Division 2 runner-up 

12. Burlingame (22-6), Central Section Open Division participant 

13. Oak Ridge (21-8), Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 quarterfinalist 

14. Valley Christian (21-13), Central Section Open Division participant 

15. California (30-4), North Coast Division 1 semifinalist 

16. Cosumnes Oaks (31-10), Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 2nd round 

NorCal Division 1 Players to Watch

(In alphabetical order)

Chelsea Fan | Senior | Outside Hitter | Palo Alto

Fan went out with an ankle injury last fall in the CIF Central Coast Section D1 final, which Palo Alto ended up losing. This year, Fan will be looking for redemption, as she leads the team with 269 kills, in addition to tallying 224 digs and 23 aces.

Liliana Light | Senior | Setter | Pleasant Grove

Hawaii-committed 6-1 setter Liliana Light hits and sets for 24-11 Pleasant Grove. She leads the team with 298 kills, is second on the team with 368 assists, and has added 44 aces and 118 digs to the stats line.

Kennedy Rice | Senior | Outside Hitter | Buchanan

A senior outside hitter headed to Chico State next fall, Kennedy Rice was named offensive player of the year and All-Tri-River League after averaging 3.7 kills per set (421 total) for the 33-7 Buchanan Bears.

Tanli Su | Senior | Setter | Palo Alto

Tanil Su’s smooth setting has helped fuel Palo Alto’s 23-4 season and earn its berth into the D1 tourney. The senior has 508 assists, 27 aces, and 113 digs on the season.

Tatiana Toleafoa | Senior | Outside Hitter | James Logan 

With a whopping 527 kills on the year, hitting .307, 5-6 senior outside hitter Tatiana Toleafoa has helped lead the Colts to a 36-4 record this season. She’s also added 356 digs and 40 aces.

State Finals Prediction

I predict Santa Margarita comes out of the South and prevails over NorCal champion James Logan in four sets. Offensive balance will be key in this matchup as both teams bring a lot of firepower, and whichever team establishes other options in key moments will get the edge.

By Derryl Trujillo