Santa Margarita defeated Redondo in five games in the second round of the Division I-AA playoffs.

That’s a No. 5 team (Redondo) from the division facing the No. 7 team (Santa Margarita) in Round 2. Yikes!

Background: Santa Margarita defeated Redondo in five games (25-17, 21-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-9) in the California Challenge at Torrey Pines.

Opening thoughts: Tons of credit and respect to Redondo. The Sea Hawks are the best defensive team I’ve seen this year. Libero Tiffany Morales was incredible, and middle blocker Arielle Manz was a beast with the block. And hitters and sisters Lara and Skylar with tough on the outside.

A little about Santa Margarita: There will be more about Kylie Hargreaves later in this post, but she did everything there was to do on a volleyball court tonight and she did it amazingly well. It took some time for the rest of the team to catch up, but when it did, everyone began to contribute. Sam Tinsley was key in games 4 (7 kills) and 5 (4 kills). While Redondo controlled the middle early on, the Eagles eventually got what they needed from Liz Riggins and Bridget Charhut. Libero Katherine Kolodziej defended and passed solidly, and setter Kendall Cygan found her range. If Santa Margarita rattles, the girls certainly don’t show it. I never got the sense the Eagles thought they were going to lose.

Upset of the night: A huge congratulations to the Mater Dei girls. The Monarchs beat Murrieta Valley in five games. Murrieta Valley had been ranked in the top 10 of the division until the playoffs started. Mater Dei starts 3 sophomores and a freshman, but have three terrific upperclassmen that provide the leadership. They played the game in the old gym at Mater Dei, where Coach Jimmy Munoz spent plenty of his time playing in his younger days. Mater Dei put up 18 blocks for the match. Ashley Cox had 15 kills and Madeline Frome had 10. Kay Lin Connolly had 5 aces and 18 digs. Up next is Los Al, where Munoz used to coach.

High five of the night: El Toro beating Valencia of Valencia. The Chargers don’t lose in their gym. I wasn’t there tonight, but I would be surprised if it was anything but packed in. Jenna Andersen dished out 50 assists in the five-game victory. Kacie Benson put up 23 kills. I’m not sure how many Christina Bauch ended up with, but what a great performance by Benson in such a key game.

Sea View shows might: That would be two of the eight Division I-A quarterfinalists from the league, with Huntington Beach’s sweep over Serrano. The Oilers received 31 kills combined from Haleigh Hampton, Kellie Turner and Andrea Streips.

Laguna Beach-El Dorado is on: The rematch from last year’s quarterfinals is happening again Saturday. The Breakers won that match. Both teams lost big-time players, so it’s not totally relevant. But the Golden Hawks do get a home match this time around. Both teams swept Thursday, LB over Northwood; ED over Paso Robles.

On track: Top seeds Newport Harbor and Los Alamitos each won Thursday. Division II-AA No. 2 seed Corona del Mar sweep, as did Div. II-A No. 2 seed Troy.

Star of the night: Kylie Hargreaves, Santa Margarita. It’s hard to imagine anyone playing better than Hargreaves on Thursday, and I’m not exaggerating. And she probably thinks she could’ve played even better, that’s what the ultra-competitive ones do. Her attitude had as much to do with the victory as her skill. She played unbelievable defense in the backrow, making countless digs. SM’s coaching staff doesn’t keep stats, so I don’t know how many digs she ended with. I had her with 28 kills. I know she had at least one block.

Setter of the night: El Toro’s Jenna Andersen. 50 assists in any match is a big number. Do it in the second round of the playoffs against a team with tradition like Valencia of Valencia, and your team wins is getting the job done.

Recognition to …: Laguna Beach’s Paulette Grand Pre. She had 16 kills and 15 digs, or a standard outing for her.She would be a dream pick if there was a high school fantasy league around.

More from the girls volleyball blog:

• Girls volleyball playoffs: Round 2 preview (Division I-AA)
• Girls volleyball playoffs: Round 2 preview (Division I-A)
• Girls volleyball playoffs: Round 2 preview (Division II-AA)
• Girls volleyball playoffs: Round 2 preview (Division II-A)
• Girls volleyball playoffs: Thursday’s lineup

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