In Division 3, the road to Santiago Canyon College and the state championship match goes through Point Loma. The Pointers have been tested thoroughly this season and have suffered losses to Open Division top seed Torrey Pines (in four), Division 1 No. 7 seed La Costa Canyon (in four), and Division 1 No. 9 seed La Jolla Country Day (in four) among them. 

Four teams from the Ambassador League conference made the state tournament, and each will be pose a tough challenge for its first-round opponent. 

Loma Linda Academy is seeded 10th, but won the Southern Section D6 crown and will face No. 7 San Marcos. No. 15 Ontario Christian has a relatively short road trip to take on No. 2 St. Paul. No. 11 Notre Dame will pose a tough matchup for No. 6 Poway, and No. 16 Aquinas has some big wins that make us think it will be more than up to the challenge of taking on No. 1 Point Loma.

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

*Live coverage in SoCal available through Spectrum.

CIF SoCal D3 Team Seeds

1. Point Loma (18-12), San Diego Section Division 1 semifinalist

2. St. Paul (26-10), Southern Section Division 5 champion

3. Sonora (28-4), Southern Section Division 5 runner-up

4. La Reina (32-7), Southern Section Division 5 semifinalist

5. Mission Oak (32-8), Central Section Division 3 champion

6. Poway (21-13), San Diego Section Division 1 semifinalist

7. San Marcos (33-1), San Diego Division 2 champions

8. Quartz Hill (25-5), Southern Section Division 5 semifinalist

9. Redwood (30-7), Central Section Division 2 semifinalist

10. Loma Linda Academy (22-2), Southern Section Division 6 champion

11. Notre Dame (23-6), Southern Section Division 6 runner-up

12. El Camino Real (20-16-1), Los Angeles City Section Open Division 6th place

13. San Pedro (15-11), Los Angeles City Section Open Division 7th place

14. Narbonne (16-11), Los Angeles City Section Open Division 8th place

15. Ontario Christian (21-5), Southern Section Division 6 semifinalist

16. Aquinas (11-11), Southern Section Division 6 semifinalist

CIF SoCal D3 Players to Watch

(In alphabetical order)

Lauryn Anderson | Senior | Middle Blocker | El Camino Real

Cal State Northridge commit Anderson is averaging 4.6 kills per set and has maintained a .495 hitting percentage. 

Sadie Hamson | Senior | Middle Blocker | Poway

Six-foot senior Hamson leads her team’s defensive and offensive efforts at the net with 68 total blocks and 283 kills, hitting .365.

Annaka Jorgenson | Junior | Outside Hitter | Ontario Christian

Jorgenson broke the career kills record for Ontario Christian, a mark previously held by University of Washington opposite Carly DeHoog; for the year Jorgenson has recorded 393 kills, averaging 5.3 per set, with a hitting percentage of .378, in addition to 58 aces and 212 kills.

Joy Lee | Junior | Setter | St. Paul

Lee has led the St. Paul team to a .311 hitting percentage with her 1,209 assists, in addition to 59 aces and 190 digs. 

Madison Tamayo | Sophomore | Outside Hitter | Redwood

Although only a sophomore, Tamayo is Redwood’s kills leader with 402 (4.1 kills per set), while maintaining a .326 hitting percentage and contributing 217 digs and 33 aces.

Hannah Tostado | Senior | Middle Blocker | St. Paul

Senior Tostado is currently averaging 3.7 kills per set (398 on the year) with a hitting percentage of .414. She adds 37 aces and 219 digs.

Demari Webb | Senior | Outside Hitter | Loma Linda Academy

Senior Webb is currently averaging 5.0 kills per set (352 on the year) with a hitting percentage of .361. She's also posted 91 digs and 35 aces.

Trinity Wyscarver | Senior | Outside Hitter | Notre Dame

Wyscarver is currently averaging 4.2 kills per set (351 on the year) with a hitting percentage of .274. She has also added 285 digs and 44 aces.

NorCal Division 3 Teams

1. Santa Catalina (25-0), Central Coast Section Division 5 champions 

2. Los Gatos (22-12), Central Coast Section Division 1 runner-up

3. Yosemite (33-5), Central Section Division 3 runner-up 

4. Lincoln (32-8), San Francisco AAA runner-up

5. Marin Academy (22-9), North Coast Section Division 5 runner 

6. Head-Royce (26-7), North Coast Section Division 4 semifinalist 

7. Shasta (24-11), Northern Section Division 3 champion 

8. Hilmar (29-13), Sac-Joaquin Section Division 4 champion 

9. Alhambra (25-6), North Coast Section Division 3 runner-up 

10. El Dorado (21-12), Sac-Joaquin Section Division 3 champion 

11. Sonora (24-8), Sac-Joaquin Section Division 3 runner-up 

12. Christian Brothers (20-14), Sac Joaquin Section Division 3 semifinalist 

13. Drake (18-12), North Coast Section Division 3 semifinalist 

14. Buhach Colony (17-13), Sac-Joaquin Section Division 2 quarterfinalist 

15. Miramonte (16-11), North Coast Section Division 3 quarterfinalist 

16. Woodland (17-5), Sac-Joaquin Section Division 3 quarterfinalist 

NorCal D3 Players to Watch

(In alphabetical order)

Mariah Ahid | Senior | Outside Hitter | Hilmar

Senior outside Ahid had 12 kills and only one error in Hilmar’s straight-set defeat of Bret Harte in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 4 championship match. On the season, Ahid leads Hilmar with 402 kills, hitting .310, and is second on the team behind libero Julia Gonsalves with 337 digs.

Tiffany Cacy | Senior | Setter | Yosemite

With Cacy as its starting setter, Yosemite has lost only five matches so far this season. Cacy has accumulated 764 assists, 254 digs, and 37 aces in her senior season.

Caitlin Dillon | Senior | Outside Hitter | El Dorado 

Dillon leads the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 3 champion Cougars with 221 kills on the year, as well as adding 23 blocks, 286 digs, and 29 aces.

Maria Santos | Junior | Opposite | Santa Catalina

Six-foot junior opposite Santos leads the undefeated Santa Catalina Cougars with 254 kills, in addition to 87 digs, 35 aces, and 23 blocks. 

Sophie Wood | Senior | Setter/Opposite | Shasta

UC Irvine signee Wood is a 6-3 setter/hitter who is a skilled quarterback and deadly attacker. On the year, she’s tallied 272 assists to go with 362 kills, hitting .384, in addition to 56 aces and 124 digs. 

State Finals Prediction

A likely matchup between an undefeated Santa Catalina squad and a heavily tested Pointers squad from Point Loma should result in a pretty interesting state championship match. The Cougars have not dropped a set in nearly two months but also have not tested themselves against the South’s best. 

Prediction: Point Loma in five

By Derryl Trujillo