When It Comes to Seeding, Torrance Doesn’t Want to Take Fifth

CIF officials need to take a closer look at the way teams are seeded in the state girls’ volleyball playoffs.

Case in point: the poor seeding given Torrance High.

Based on school enrollment, Torrance would have competed in the Division II state playoffs after winning the Southern Section Division III title Saturday. But earlier this month, the players and coaches voted to move up to Division I for the state playoffs in order to face the toughest competition.

“The girls wanted to find out how good they are,” Coach John Radcliffe said. “This is one of the reasons these girls have been so successful. They always want to go against the best.”

Based on Torrance’s 21-1 record, No. 5 ranking in the state, two tournament titles and domination of Division III competition, Radcliffe was hopeful the Tartars would receive a favorable seeding in the Division I regionals.

To his disappointment, though, Torrance was seeded fifth out of eight teams Sunday by a selection committee.

Radcliffe’s reaction? “Ouch,” he said.

The crux of all this is that Torrance, because of its low seeding, must travel to Newport Beach to play top-seeded Corona del Mar in a second-round match at 7 Saturday night. Corona del Mar, the Southern Section Division I champion, is ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today.

Had Torrance been seeded second or third, it would have been placed in the lower bracket, thus avoiding an early meeting with Corona del Mar in a hostile gym. And based on comparative scores, Torrance deserved a higher seeding.

Instead, San Diego Section champion Poway was seeded second and Laguna Beach, the Southern Section Division I runner-up, was seeded third. Central Section champion Bakersfield was seeded fourth, but was no match for Torrance in Tuesday night’s first-round match at Bakersfield. The Tartars won handily, 15-9, 15-7, 15-9.

Torrance and Poway did not meet this season, but both competed in the Mira Costa and Marlborough tournaments. Torrance won both tournament titles. Poway lost in the semifinals to Mira Costa and Notre Dame Academy, respectively.

Torrance and Laguna Beach also did not meet, but Torrance was ranked higher than the Artists in the latest state poll.

Given that bit of information, how did Poway and Laguna Beach end up with higher seedings than Torrance in the Division I regionals?

Simply put, the selection committee failed to do its homework.

State tournament director Sheri Ross, who chaired Sunday’s selection meeting, acknowledged that the information regarding the common opponents of Torrance and Poway may not have been discussed before the teams were seeded.

“I can’t tell you if that information was brought out or not,” said Ross, the girls’ athletic director at El Toro High. “We try to do the best job we can. When we don’t have head-to-head competition (to compare), we try to go to common opponents.”

In this case, that criterion appears to have been overlooked.

Karen Hellyer, who supposedly represented Torrance as the Southern Section administrator at Sunday’s meeting, said she does not believe Torrance received an unfair draw in the regionals.

“But everyone looks at it differently,” Hellyer said.

All of this has left Radcliffe a bit bewildered but not discouraged.

“Sometimes things aren’t fair, but we have to play the hand we were dealt,” he said. “There’s not a whole lot we can do about it.”

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Saturday’s match between Torrance (22-1) and Corona del Mar (21-0) should be one of the most competitive of the year.

Corona del Mar, which has won 84 of 89 games this season, beat University of West Los Angeles, 15-2, 15-3, 15-7, Tuesday night in the opening round of the Division I regionals. The Sea Queens are led by middle blocker Allison Englebrecht, a 5-foot-10 senior, and outside hitters Lori Newcomer, a 5-9 senior, and Jennifer Stroffe, a 5-11 junior.

Torrance has won 58 consecutive games since Radcliffe and Brian Chartier took over coaching duties a month into the season. They replaced Pete Field, whose personality conflicts with some players led to his hasty departure.

The Tartars’ balanced lineup features All-Southern Section outside hitter Kim Blankinship and setter-hitter Suzanne Radcliffe, both of whom will play collegiately for Loyola Marymount. In Tuesday’s victory over Bakersfield, Blankinship had 13 digs and four kills and Radcliffe had 30 assists.

Coach Radcliffe said Corona del Mar is a steady team that makes few mistakes, but he thinks Torrance has a legitimate chance at an upset.

“We don’t feel they have anybody more powerful than us,” he said. “We will give them a match.”

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Two other South Bay volleyball teams will play second-round state playoff matches Saturday night.

In Division III, second-seeded South Torrance (15-5) will play host to third-seeded La Jolla (29-6). In Division II, third-seeded Bishop Montgomery (17-3) will travel to play second-seeded Torrey Pines of Del Mar (25-6).

South, which lost to Torrance in the Southern Section Division III final Saturday after finishing second to the Tartars in the Pioneer League, opened the state playoffs Tuesday with a 15-12, 15-4, 15-6 victory over Exeter of the Central Section. Outside hitters Dee Dee Callier and Nichole Odom and middle blocker Stephanie Pfau led the way for South.

Bishop Montgomery, the Southern Section Division II champion, beat Reedley of the Central Section, 15-7, 15-3, 15-4, on Tuesday. Miya Malauulu led the Knights with 12 kills.

With tailback Corey McCoy in the lineup, Hawthorne’s football team averaged 38 points in its first nine games.

Without the speedy senior, who was lost for the season after suffering torn ligaments in his ankle Nov. 6 against Inglewood, the Cougars have averaged less than 20 points in their past two games.

The extent of the drop-off in offensive production surprised Coach Dan Robbins, whose team plays Simi Valley in the second round of the Southern Section Division III playoffs Friday night at Hawthorne.

“(McCoy’s absence) has affected us more than I thought it would,” Robbins said. “Any time Corey would get through (the line), I would turn my back in expectation of him going all the way.

South Bay’s Football Top 10 Selected by Times Sportswriters

Rank, School, League Record 1 San Pedro (Southern) 9-1-1 2 Hawthorne (Bay) 9-2 3 Carson (Pacific) 7-3-1 4 North Torrance (Pioneer) 10-1 5 Peninsula (Bay) 9-2 6 Banning (Pacific) 7-4 7 South Torrance (Pioneer) 8-3 8 West Torrance (Pioneer) 8-3 9 Leuzinger (Bay) 6-5 10 Serra (Camino Real) 6-3-2