Expansion Approved for Volleyball Playoffs

The Southern Section Council agreed last week to expand the boys’ volleyball playoffs from three to five divisions, beginning this spring.

“Five divisions is good for boys’ volleyball,” said Dan Glenn, boys’ and girls’ volleyball coach at Newport Harbor High and a member of the advisory committee proposing the change. “It’s a growing sport and the way we looked at it on the committee, we didn’t want it to be as watered down as girls’ volleyball [which has 10 divisions], but we wanted to be as fair as we could to small schools.”

The council also approved a recommendation that the state office continue to develop criteria for adding state championship events. Current state championships take place in girls’ volleyball, cross-country, basketball, track and field and wrestling. A Southern Section spokesman said the state is considering adding boys’ volleyball, golf and swimming.

In other council action:

* Approved limiting wrestlers to a maximum of 40 matches before the start of their league tournaments.

* Approved a proposal that would create a five-team “I-15 League” in Riverside County that would begin play next fall. Its teams would include Temecula Chaparral, Lake Elsinore, Murrieta Valley, Temecula Valley and Lake Elsinore Temescal Canyon.

* Allowed for the placement of first-year Riverside Martin Luther King into the Sunkist League.

*

Palos Verdes Peninsula remains atop the Southern Section Division I girls’ tennis poll with Irvine Woodbridge (Division II), Palm Desert (III), San Marino (IV) and Laguna Beach also ranked No. 1 in their divisions.

In boys’ water polo, Long Beach Wilson (I), Anaheim Servite (II), La Canada (III), Santa Maria Righetti (IV), Jurupa Valley (V) and Rowland (VI) are the top-ranked teams.

In girls’ volleyball, the top-ranked teams are: Newport Harbor (I-AA); Santa Ana Mater Dei (I-A); Santa Margarita (II-AA); West Covina South Hills (II-A); Torrance Bishop Montgomery (III-AA); Laguna Beach (IV-AA); Brentwood (IV-A); San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret’s (V-AA); Hemet Baptist Christian (V-A).