SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS : El Toro Will Have Welcome Companion When It Hits Road

During a two-week stretch this season, the El Toro girls’ volleyball team discovered just how much it needed outside hitter Jaime Smith in the lineup.

Sidelined with a sprained right ankle she had suffered against Dana Hills, Smith watched as the Chargers dropped their only South Coast League match of the season, a four-game loss to Capistrano Valley.

But Smith returned to the lineup in time to help El Toro avenge the Capistrano Valley loss. Smith, a 5-foot-8 outside hitter, had 16 kills as the Chargers beat the Cougars in four games.

“She came back from the injury real well,” El Toro Coach Mike Jagd said. “She’s one of the most spectacular athletes we’ve had here in the last six years.”

Jagd has sent 20 El Toro players on to compete at Division I colleges, including UCLA’s Elaine Youngs and Michelle Mauney.

“We’ve had some real good girls come through here,” Jagd said. “But pound for pound, Jaime’s the best we’ve had. She’s faster and she can do more. She’s the kind of girl who refuses to disappoint anyone.”

El Toro (15-3) shared the league title with Capistrano Valley (19-4). But the Chargers lost a coin flip to determine the league’s top entry to the Southern Section 5-A playoffs. Capistrano Valley (19-4) was the league’s top entry and was seeded third.

Meanwhile, El Toro’s reward for one of its best seasons is a two-hour bus ride to play at Santa Barbara, the Channel League champion, in a first-round match Thursday night.

Although Jagd and his players are disappointed with their playoff draw, Smith is optimistic.

“I think we have a chance to go to state and win,” she said.

Smith, a three-year starter in volleyball and a four-year starter in softball, has plenty of playoff experience.

Last year, she helped the volleyball team reach the 5-A semifinals before losing to Mira Costa.

As a sophomore, she was the starting shortstop on the Charger softball team that won the 4-A title. Smith considered quitting softball this year. She plays club volleyball in the spring with the Newport Ambassadors, which sometimes conflicts with softball.

“I’m really burned out on softball,” she said. “I’ve been playing it ever since the Bobby Sox Leagues. It’s really stressful in the spring. I’ll leave home at 6 a.m. and get home after dark, but I’m going to play (softball) again this year. I don’t want to let Coach (Jim) Daugherty down.”

Her softball career will end with El Toro’s final out of the season. Smith wants to play volleyball in college.

She is being recruited by more than 20 colleges, including Princeton, Texas A&M;, New Mexico, Wisconsin and Nevada.

She averages 22 kills, with a .350 hitting percentage.

El Toro is one of 11 Orange County teams competing in Division 5-A. Mater Dei (16-4), led by hitter Amy Moeller, is seeded second. Third-seeded Capistrano Valley is led by hitters Ally Carpenter and Tobi Roquemore.

Corona del Mar (10-4), the defending 5-A champion, is seeded fourth and could face top-seeded Lakewood St. Joseph as early as the semifinals. The Sea Kings are led by Charmayne Conley, Lori Newcomer and Jennifer Stroffe.

Unseeded Laguna Beach (18-2) has as much talent as anyone in the division with hitter Rachel Wacholder, setter Shauna Shapiro and hitter Tori Scott. The Artists won the Orange County tournament in September and won the Pacific Coast League title, but they struggled in nonleague losses to Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar.

Los Alamitos and Fountain Valley are the county’s top teams in Division 4-A. Unseeded Los Alamitos (12-2), the Empire League champion, features two of the division’s best players in middle blocker Kelly Kuebler and setter Kirstin Laird. Unseeded Fountain Valley (14-5), the Sunset League champion, is led by hitter Colleen Moro and setter Lisa Brown.

La Habra, the defending section and State Division II champion, is the top-seeded team in the 3-A playoffs, which begin tonight.

The Highlanders (16-2) got off to a slow start this season but have won 13 consecutive matches. They feature one of the top players in the county in Zrinka Kristich, a 6-foot-5 outside hitter.

Don’t be surprised if La Habra plays second-seeded El Modena (17-1) in the finals, a rematch of last year’s 3-A title match the Highlanders won. El Modena’s top players are hitter Marni Hichborn and setter Melizza Benitez.

Despite a 14-1 record, Valencia, the Orange League champion, didn’t earn a seeded spot in Division 2-A. The Tigers are led by middle blocker Amy Tamblyn.

Capistrano Valley Christian (13-1), the Olympic League champion, is top-seeded in Division 1-A, and Olympic League runner-up Whittier Christian (13-2) is seeded third. Capistrano Valley has two of the top players in the division in hitters Karen Benkovsky and Kathleen Bunce. Whittier Christian is led by Teresa Brickner and Jennifer Rudometkin.

Freshman hitter Courtney Owens has led Santa Ana Calvary Chapel (14-1) to the Arrowhead League title and the fourth-seeded position in the Small Schools division. Unseeded St. Margaret’s (16-1) could contend with strong play from Susie Teitsworth and Hilary Albers.

Section Playoffs: Girls’ Volleyball

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS--Division 5-A: Corona del Mar. Division 4-A: Notre Dame Academy. Division 3-A: La Habra. Division 2-A: Arroyo Grande. Division 1-A: Windward. Small Schools: Mammoth.

TOP TEAMS--Division 5-A: Capistrano Valley, Corona del Mar, El Toro, Laguna Beach, Lakewood St. Joseph, Mater Dei, Mira Costa, Newport Harbor. Division 4-A: Fountain Valley, Long Beach Poly, Long Beach Wilson, Marlborough, Notre Dame Academy. Division 3-A: Canyon Country Canyon, El Modena, La Habra, La Quinta, Los Altos, Sunny Hills. Division 2-A: Arroyo Grande, St. Anthony, Moorpark, Paso Robles, Valencia. Division 1-A: Brentwood, Capistrano Valley Christian, Los Angeles Baptist, Whittier Christian. Small Schools: Calvary Chapel, Cate, Mammoth, St. Margaret’s.

DARK HORSES: Division 5-A: Royal. Division 4-A: Cypress, Edison. Division 3-A: Rim of the World. Division 2-A: Atascadero. Small Schools: Liberty Christian.

KEY PLAYERS: Division 5-A: Lemia Astarabadi (University), Ally Carpenter (Capistrano Valley), Charmayne Conley (Corona del Mar), Tara Kroesch (Newport Harbor), Maureen McLaren (Newport Harbor), Amy Moeller (Mater Dei), Holiday Molway (University), Lori Newcomer (Corona del Mar), Tobi Roquemore (Capistrano Valley), Shauna Shapiro (Laguna Beach), Jaime Smith (El Toro), Lesli Steinert (El Toro), Jennifer Stroffe (Corona del Mar), Rachel Wacholder (Laguna Beach). Division 4-A: Misty Hartung (Cypress), Kelly Kuebler (Los Alamitos), Kirstin Laird (Los Alamitos), Heather Lowe (Cypress), Colleen Moro (Fountain Valley). Division 3-A: Melizza Benitez (El Modena), Marni Hichborn (El Modena), Rachel Hochgesang (Sunny Hills), Zrinka Kristich (La Habra), Kori Rosenkranz (Sunny Hills), Carin Whittington (La Quinta). Division 2-A: Amy Tamblyn (Valencia). Division 1-A: Karen Benkovsky (Capistrano Valley Christian), Teresa Brickner (Whittier Christian), Kathleen Bunce (Capistrano Valley Christian), Jennifer Rudometkin (Whittier Christian), Bethany Stidham (Whittier Christian). Small Schools: Courtney Owens (Calvary Chapel), Susie Teitsworth (St. Margaret’s).

NOTEWORTHY: Who’s going to win? Here’s who we think--5-A: Lakewood St. Joseph; 4-A: Marlborough; 3-A: La Habra; 2-A: Arroyo Grande; 1-A: Capistrano Valley Christian; Small Schools: Mammoth.