San Pedro Presents Imposing Test for Taft

Top-seeded San Pedro, which hasn’t dropped a game to a City opponent all season, faces second-seeded Woodland Hills Taft in the City Section girls’ volleyball championship match at 8 tonight at Occidental College.

The defending-champion Pirates (34-3) will be vying for their second title; Taft (30-7) will try to win its first after its runner-up finish to Van Nuys in 2002.

San Pedro features a balanced offense led by junior outside hitter Natalie Benitez. The transfer from Glendale ranks third in the City with 253 kills, an average of 6.8 per match. The Pirates also go to senior middle blocker Amber McColl, who averages 6.5 kills, junior middle blocker Alexandra Bubica (5.8) and sophomore outside hitter Shannon Miller (4.8).

Taft counters with senior outside hitters Jessica Duran and Kameron Thomas, junior opposite Savannah Thomas and middle blockers Samantha Potter, Tatiana Hithe and Kaiyana Johnson.

With five starters at 5-foot-9 or taller, the Toreadors are among the most imposing teams in the City.

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Two Southern Section girls’ volleyball championship matches take place at 7 tonight at Cypress College.

North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake (22-5), which missed the playoffs for the first time last year, looks for its seventh section title when it plays Los Angeles Notre Dame Academy (20-10) in the Division III-A final.

Notre Dame Academy is making its third consecutive appearance in a division final. The Regals were Division IV-AA runners-up to Los Angeles Marymount each of the last two years.

Harvard-Westlake, which will be without junior Lauren Newhouse, who has strep throat, edged the Regals in five games in a nonleague match in September. Sophomore Alexa Bagnard will replace Newhouse at opposite hitter.

Santa Monica Lighthouse Christian (20-2) and Santa Maria Valley Christian (14-4) get a rematch of last year’s Division V-A final won by Lighthouse Christian in a sweep.

-- Lauren Peterson

Girls’ Tennis

Unbeaten teams face off when top-seeded Palisades and second-seeded Carson play for the City Section championship at 1 today at Balboa Recreation Center in Encino.

Palisades (15-0), the runner-up to Granada Hills each of the last two years, is led by sophomore Katy Nikolova and senior Krista Slocum and will be vying for its 18th title, though its last came in 1998.

“Most kids don’t go through Pali without winning a championship,” said Coach Bud Kling.

Teresa Macias, Tisha Sutphin and Jennifer To lead Carson (15-0), which is returning to the final for the first time since a runner-up finish to Granada Hills in 2002. The Colts won titles in 2000 and 2001 and were semifinalists the last two seasons, getting eliminated last year with a loss to Palisades.

-- Lauren Peterson