County’s Top Two Teams Will Meet Friday

Amid the usual high school football madness this week, the top two girls’ volleyball teams in the county will meet Friday night.

Second-ranked Mater Dei will play at top-ranked Newport Harbor in what could be a preview of the State Division I playoff championship. The teams will not meet in the Southern Section playoffs because Newport Harbor is in Division I-AA and Mater Dei is in Division I-A.

“We’re not scared of Newport,” Mater Dei Coach Craig Pazanti said. “I think Newport is the team to beat in the state, but I like that we get a chance to play them.”

Newport Harbor features one of the state’s best players in 6-foot-1 outside hitter April Ross, who has committed to USC. Mater Dei is led by setter Jennifer Ward, who has committed to Georgetown.

One of the interesting battles could be at middle blocker, where Newport Harbor’s Krista Dill, a 6-2 senior who has committed to Duke, could be matched against Mater Dei’s Lindsay Pavlik, a 6-foot senior who has committed to Northwestern.

The two were teammates last summer in club season with Orange County Volleyball.

THE UNDERCARD

The Freeway and Empire leagues also have some interesting matchups this week. Thursday, Sunny Hills will play at La Habra in a Freeway League match that also will feature two of the county’s top players.

Senior Stevie Nicholas, who is being recruited by schools including USC and Long Beach State, leads Sunny Hills against defending league champion La Habra and junior outside hitter Keao Burdine.

Burdine and Nicholas played on a junior national team that played in Europe last summer.

Today, La Habra plays at Fullerton, which is led by outside hitter/setter Lauren Duggins, who has committed to Hawaii.

In the Empire League, El Dorado’s drive to a league title continues with a match today against visiting Kennedy, which is led by UCLA-bound outside hitter Cira Wright. El Dorado will also host defending league champion Cypress on Thursday.

SPOILED FRUITS OF VICTORY

Huntington Beach climbed to the No. 5 ranking in the county poll thanks in part to its five-game Sunset League victory over then-fourth-ranked Esperanza last week. But Huntington Beach Coach Isaac Owens paid the price.

His wife, Kathy Owens, who is an assistant at Esperanza, hates losing almost as much as her husband.

“After the match, Kathy left Isaac hanging,” laughed Mater Dei Coach Craig Pazanti, who previously was an assistant with Isaac Owens at Huntington Beach. “It was great. Kathy just went and ate dinner with her parents.”

And at the Aztecs’ alumni match last weekend, there were plenty of good-natured barbs exchanged.

“Maybe I didn’t win graciously,” Isaac Owens said. “But hey, I was just trying to get my kids fired up and ready to play. I guess it worked, but I know Esperanza will really come after us when we play again.”

THE SEE-YA VIEW LEAGUE

Although there were the usual coaches complaints about the recent league realignment, members of the old Sea View League had no trouble finding a silver lining this season.

Four teams in the old Sea View League are ranked in the county top 10.

Current Sea View members are top-ranked Newport Harbor and seventh-ranked Irvine. But two teams have moved on to different leagues--third-ranked Santa Margarita to the Serra League and eighth-ranked Corona del Mar to the Pacific Coast League.

And a third team, El Toro, moved to the South Coast League, where it is tied for second.

“That was a tough league,” Laguna Beach Coach Shawn Patchell said. “Just brutal.”

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If you have an item or idea for the girls’ volleyball report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at mike.itagaki@latimes.com

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Girls’ Volleyball Poll

Southern Section Coaches’ Poll

Division I-AA--1. Newport Harbor, 2. Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, 3. Esperanza, 4. Irvine, 5. Long Beach Poly, 6. Redlands East Valley, 7. Dana Hills, 8. Upland, 9. Arcadia, 10. Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Division I-A--1. Mater Dei, 2. Santa Barbara, 3. Huntington Beach, 4. Santa Barbara San Marcos, 5. Simi Valley Royal, 6. Ventura Buena, 7. Thousand Oaks, 8. San Clemente, 9. Ventura, 10. Sunny Hills.

Division II-AA--1. Santa Margarita, 2. Westlake Village Westlake, 3. South Torrance, 4. Cypress, 5. Redondo Union, 6. Lake Arrowhead Rim of the World, 7. Hemet, 8. Whittier La Serna, 9. Valencia, 10. Foothill.

Division II-A--1. Covina South Hills, 2. Lakewood St. Joseph, 3. Glendora St. Lucy’s, 4. La Habra, 5. San Luis Obispo, 6. Ridgecrest Burroughs, 7. Atascadero, 8. Lakewood Mayfair, 9. Ocean View, 10. Laguna Hills.

Division III-AA--1. Torrance Bishop Montgomery, 2. North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake, 3. Corona del Mar, 4. La Canada, 5. Riverside Notre Dame, 6. Rosary, 7. Santa Paula, 8. Ojai Nordhoff, 9. Mission Hills Alemany, 10. Temecula Chaparral.

Division III-A--None.

Division IV-AA--1. Laguna Beach, 2. L.A. Notre Dame Academy, 3. Thousand Oaks La Reina, 4. L.A. Marymount, 5. Cerritos Whitney, 6. Flintridge Sacred Heart, 7. Cerritos Valley Christian, 8. Woodland Hills Louisville, 9. El Segundo, 10. Carpinteria.

Division IV-A--1. Los Angeles Brentwood, 2. Calvary Chapel, 3. Whittier Christian, 4. Sun Valley Village Christian, 5. Los Angeles Marlborough, 6. Malibu, 7. Orange Lutheran, 8. Sierra Madre Maranatha, 9. Sierra Madre Alverno, 10. San Pedro Mary Star of the Sea.

Division V-AA--1. St. Margaret’s, 2. Calabasas Viewpoint, 3. Palos Verdes Peninsula Chadwick, 4. North Hollywood Campbell Hall, 5. Covina Western Christian, 6. Pasadena Poly, 7. La Canada Flintridge Prep, 8. Simi Valley Grace Brethren, 9. L.A. Windward, 10. Lone Pine.

Division V-A--1. Hemet Baptist Christian, 2. Thousand Oaks Hillcrest Christian, 3. Liberty Christian, 4. Camarillo Cornerstone Christian, 5. Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep, 6. Santa Monica Lighthouse Church, 7. Baker, 8. Pico Rivera Mesrobian, 9. Cuyama Valley, 10. Independence Owens Valley.