The Preps : Southern Section Championships : Woodbridge and Newport Harbor Square Off in Volleyball

Could it be true? Were the boys’ volleyball teams of Woodbridge and Newport Harbor high schools separated at birth? Are they, in fact, the same team?

No, no. The teams are not identical but just incredible simulations, and they will play each other tonight at 7:30 at Woodbridge High in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section 4-A playoffs.

Consider that neither won league championships but each defeated favored league champions in the first round of the playoffs. Woodbridge beat defending Southern Section champion Loyola and Newport Harbor beat No. 4-seeded and Sunset League champion Huntington Beach.

Each team started the season rather slowly, having lost big-time players from the previous season. Newport Harbor (11-5) lost setter Drew Sheward and outside hitter Mike Curci, who led the team to last year’s 4-A final, where it lost to Loyola. Woodbridge (12-5) lost Orange County’s biggest hitter last season in 6-foot-9 Adam Keefe as well as three other senior starters.

In the absence of such talent, each team has played with a balanced attack that emphasizes no one player.

“I’ve told my kids this is going to be like playing a mirror,” said Steve Stratos, Woodbridge coach. “There’s a lot of balance on both teams. And both teams have blossomed near the end of the season.”

Corona del Mar, which lost to Edison in last year’s quarterfinals, will be favored in tonight’s rematch at Edison. Sea View League champion Corona del Mar (13-2) had a relatively easy time with San Marcos (15-6, 15-3, 15-8) in the first round. Edison (16-2) beat South Coast League champion El Toro in the first round, 15-12, 10-15, 15-4, 15-6.

Though Laguna Beach (17-1) is the second-seeded team, it will face Santa Monica (15-2) on the road in its quarterfinal match.

In the 3-A, Whittier Christian (16-0) plays surprising Glendale, the No. 3 team from the Central League, at Glendale.