Seven Survivors Face More Playoff Music

Seven teams, seven subplots, one underlying theme.

They are all alive in the girls’ volleyball playoffs.

Two undefeated teams have been eliminated and numerous league champions are no longer playing, but seven schools from the region, ranging in size from Westlake High to tiny Thousand Oaks Hillcrest Christian, will play in semifinal matches tonight.

Westlake (19-6), with its strong defense, is almost a mirror image of the 1997 team that won the Southern Section Division II-A championship.

“We haven’t really thought about carrying on their tradition,” said Stacey Lee, a senior outside hitter. “We want to carry it on for our own benefit. We want to give Westlake a name.”

Westlake, seeded No. 2 in the Division II-AA playoffs, plays at South Torrance , a wild-card entry that upset No. 3-seeded Tustin in the first round.

Harvard-Westlake (21-5) has a converted setter playing outside hitter and two sophomore starters, but is more dangerous than most experienced teams.

“We know how competitive this lineup has been through league,” said Jessica Kronstadt, a senior outside hitter. “We’ll have to see how it is through playoffs.”

So far so good for the Wolverines, seeded No. 2 in Division III-AA. They play at No. 3-seeded Corona del Mar , a team they defeated in a two-game match at the Orange County tournament earlier this season.

La Canada (18-0) is the only undefeated team remaining in the region.

The No. 4-seeded Spartans, also in Division III-AA, host top-seeded Bishop Montgomery and 6-foot-3 Katie Olsovsky, who has committed to USC.

No. 2-seeded Thousand Oaks Hillcrest Christian (22-1), led by Jenna Meyers, play at home in a Division V-A match against No. 3-seeded Huntington Beach Liberty Christian .

In the City Championship, Sylmar (14-1) is tearing through the playoffs behind middle blocker Kassy Jimenez, who has played with a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament since the second match of the season.

Jimenez, a two-time All-City selection, delivered seven kills in a quarterfinal victory over Fremont.

The No. 2-seeded Spartans, who have yet to lose a game in the playoffs, host No. 6-seeded Garfield.

Granada Hills, seeded No. 2 in the City Invitational, is coached by an unlikely duo--baseball Coach Steve Thompson and former Granada Hills and UCLA volleyball player Donald Puathasnanon.

The Highlanders (10-5) host No. 3-seeded Carson .

Grant (10-5) is seeded No. 4 in the Invitational.