Girls’ Volleyball Tournaments Draw Top Teams from Region

Girls’ volleyball teams from throughout the area will participate Saturday in a pair of highly regarded high school tournaments.

Royal will play host to a 15-team tournament, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

The Highlanders, ranked eighth in the Southern Section 5-A Division, will be trying to win the tournament championship for the third year in a row, but talented Moorpark and Ventura will offer stiff opposition. El Camino Real is expected to be the top City Section team in the field.

Other teams include Bell-Jeff, La Canada, Crescenta Valley, Louisville, Inglewood, Righetti, Palmdale, Agoura, Saugus, Calabasas and Fillmore.

Nordhoff, Buena and Hueneme will be among the teams participating in the prestigious San Marcos Tournament of Champions at UC Santa Barbara, beginning at 8 a.m.

The event annually brings in many of the top-ranked teams in California. This year’s field includes Mira Costa (No. 1, Southern Section 5-A Division), Corona del Mar (No. 6, 5-A), Newport Harbor (No. 10, 5-A) and Arroyo Grande (No. 1, 2-A). Nordhoff is ranked No. 3 in the 2-A and Buena is No. 7 in 5-A. Hueneme is not ranked.

Billy Nealy, a senior from Alta Loma High and Pasadena City College, was selected offensive player of the game in Northridge’s 9-7 win over Central Oklahoma. Nealy made three catches, including receptions of 54 and 24 yards.

Defensive tackle Ron McKinney was the defensive player of the game. He made seven tackles, two unassisted.

Paul Peters a junior from Rancho Santiago College, returned eight punts for 44 yards, earning special-teams, player-of-the-game honors and tying the school record for punt returns in a game.

Abe Valdez, a former standout at Camarillo High, is running for Riverside College this season after transferring from Central Arizona in the spring.

Valdez helped Central Arizona finish fifth in last year’s national junior college cross-country championships after leading Camarillo to the 1989 state Division I cross-country title with a fourth-place individual finish.