THE PREPS : Southern Section Playoffs : Two Sunset Teams Face Wild-Card Tests

For the second consecutive season, it appears the Sunset League was the toughest boys’ volleyball league in Orange County.

Three teams from the Sunset--Huntington Beach, Edison and Marina--were ranked among the top six in Orange County by the end of the regular season, and all three were ranked among the top eight in the 4-A.

Huntington Beach (14-1) won the league championship and is waiting for Friday’s first round of the Southern Section 4-A playoffs. But the league’s other quality teams, Edison (14-2) and Marina (11-4), must play tonight in a 4-A wild-card round that features eight matches.

Edison, the Sunset’s No. 2 team and the only team to beat Huntington Beach, is at home against Culver City (13-7), which finished third in the Ocean League. That’s a little more impressive when you consider that the No. 1 team from the Ocean League also is the top-seeded team in the 4-A, Mira Costa (18-0).

Marina, which split games with Edison, travels to play the Ocean League’s No. 2 team, North Torrance (13-3). Marina already has proven it can win big matches, as in its four-game defeat of then-undefeated and top-ranked Laguna Beach two weeks ago.

In other 4-A wild-card matches: Torrance (9-5) at University (11-3); Capistrano Valley (7-9) at Woodbridge (10-5); Newport Harbor (9-5) at Rolling Hills (14-2), and Irvine (7-9) at home against Laguna Hills (7-8), with the winner getting the dubious honor of playing No. 1 Mira Costa in the first round.

In 3-A wild-card games involving county teams, Mater Dei (14-3) is at home against Lakewood (13-4) and Pacifica (11-9) plays at Esperanza (12-4).