In the end, it was Christina Harris with the ace to give Los Alamitos the first game, 29-27.

If this is a sign of things to come, I can't wait.

The action is clean, with both sides producing winner.

In some matches, the team that wins the opening game can gain the advantage.

Though Los Al is up 1-0, I expect this one to go to five, regardless of who the first game.

Stay tuned.

In case you missed it, here's a quick breakdown of the matches.

The big story line is the Division I-AA match between Los Alamitos and Newport Harbor, but that's not the only hot ticket.

Read more about the matches below:

Newport Harbor-Los Alamitos

Corona del Mar-Redlands East Valley

Huntington Beach-Dos Pueblos

No. 1 Newport Harbor (28-6) vs. No. 2 Los Alamitos (30-7)

When: Saturday, 7:37 p.m., Cypress College, Gym 2

Road to finals:

Newport Harbor: 1st Rnd bye; 2nd Rnd def. West Torrance (25-23, 25-20, 25-15); qtrs def. Long Beach Poly (25-16, 25-15, 20-25, 25-15); semis def. Santa Margarita (25-23, 25-13, 25-18)

Los Alamitos: 1st Rnd def. Chaminade (25-11, 25-14, 25-16); 2nd Rnd def. Royal (25-12, 25-17, 23-25, 25-11); qtrs def. Mater Dei (25-12, 25-14, 26-24); semis def. Mira Costa (27-25, 25-16, 22-25, 25-23)

Outlook: The teams shared the Sunset League title, with each winning on its home floor. The Griffins are riding an 11-game winning streak, including a five-game victory against Newport Harbor on Oct. 29. The Sailors have won six in row, and have dropeed just one game in the postseason.

The Sailors won in three. You can read all about that one here.

Here's a look at some other semifinal matches:

Division I-AA semifinal:

No. 2 Los Alamitos 3, No. 3 Mira Costa 1: Jane Croson put down 21 kills to help the Griffins defeat the Mustangs on the road, 27-25, 25-18, 22-25, 25-23, and reach their first CIF final since winning the championship in 2005.

Emily Hartong added 11 kills and Lindsay Lawmaster recorded 16 digs. It’s the second time Los Al won at Mira Costa this season, and Tuesday’s victory snapped the Mustangs consecutive CIF final appearances at 10.

“The girls have been playing with a lot of confidence,” Los Al coach Dave Huber said. “We had as many fans as they did there. That helped ease us and the girls played hard.”

Los Al trailed 16-12 in the opening game before coming back late. Though the Griffins fought back from two games down in the first meeting, taking the opening game Tuesday was a big lift.

“It was huge,” Huber said. “We had a lot of missed opportunities. If we didn’t come back, that could have been a hit to our confidence if we let it slip away.”

In the Division II-AA semifinals:

No. 2 Corona del Mar 3, No. 3 South Torrance 0: The Sea Kings recorded the home sweep over South Torrance, 25-16, 25-21, 25-23, behind 10 kills from Morgan Boukather.

Madie Smith dished out 27 assists and had 13 digs. Corona del Mar is making its second straight CIF final appearance.

In the Division II-A semifinals:

La Canada 3, Troy 2: The Warriors fell in the semifinals, 18-25, 25-19, 26-24, 13-25, 15-11, for the second straight year to La Canada.

In Division IV-AA semifinals:

Whittier Christian 3, Viewpoint 0: Whittier Christian rolled to the sweep, 25-21, 25-15, 25-15, to reach its second straight final. The school's last CIF title came in 2000.

In the Division V-AA semifinals:

Saddleback Valley Christian 3, No. 1 Pacifica Christian 1: SVC knocked off the top seeds in four games, 25-12, 12-25, 25-22, 25-22, with 10 kills from Chelsea Duhs.

No. 1 Harbor Harbor (26-6) vs. Santa Margarita (24-9)

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m., Newport Harbor High

Newport Harbor history:

CIF titles 2002, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1994, 1987, 1979

CIF finals 2003, 2001, 1993, 1985, 1977

Last year's playoff result: Lost in quarterfinals

Santa Margarita history:

CIF titles 2008, 2004, 2003, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996,

CIF finals 2005, 2002

Last year's playoff result: Div. I-AA champ

Players to watch: NH- Kirby Burnham (OH), Katey Thompson (MB), Kelly Heenan (lib); SM - Kylie Hargreves (OH), Sam Tinsley (OH), Katherine Kolodziej (lib)

Outlook: The Eagles are the defending champion, while Newport Harbor is seeking its first title since 2002. Both teams were ranked in the county's top 5 all season. Newport Harbor's height is going to present problems for the Eagles. The Sailors won 2-1 over SM at the Durango Tournament. While Newport Harbor is the favorite, the Eagles have enough to stage an upset. They need to eliminate the errors, like the five missed serves in Game 1 against Redondo. SM can't afford to give Newport anything.

Prediction: Newport Harbor in four.

More from the girls volleyball blog:

• Girls volleyball playoffs: Division I-AA (updated draw)
• Girls volleyball playoffs: Division I-A (updated draw)
• Girls volleyball playoffs: Division II-AA (updated draw)
• Girls volleyball playoffs: Division II-A (updated draw)
• Girls volleyball playoffs: Division IV-AA (updated draw)

Here are the Orange County teams in the Pac-5 Division:

Edison (10-0) – The Chargers are the top-seeded team in the division, and have been No. 1 in Orange County since beating then-No. 1 Servite in Week 4. The Chargers have a very-balanced offense. Quarterback Matt Viles is the No. 2 passer in the count, behind Rancho Alamitos’ Mike Frank, with 2,173 yards. Viles did not play in last week’s 48-0 victory over Marina, a precautionary move because Viles dislocated his non-throwing elbow in the Week 8 victory over Fountain Valley. Wade Houston and Davion Orphey are productive running backs, and Jeff Trojan and Michael Rivera leads the talented . The Chargers are averaging 33 points a game while allowing nine a game. Edison went 5-0 in the Sunset League to win the league championship.

Dana Hills (8-2) – Dana Hills finished second in the South Coast League with a 4-1 league record. The Dolphins’ league loss was to Mission Viejo, 49-17, which ended a six-game winning streak. Receiver/defensive back Chris Kearney is one of the top two-way players in the county. He has a team-high 51 receptions. Quarterback Josh Dean has completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,536 yards and 14 touchdowns. Dana Hills is averaging 36 points a game. The Dolphins, ranked No. 4 in Orange County have a challenging first-round assignment, a home game against No. 7 Orange Lutheran, the second-place team from the Trinity League.

Orange Lutheran (6-4) – The Lancers finished second in the Trinity League. Three of their losses are to very good teams – Pickerington Central of Ohio, which is 10-2; Redlands East Valley (10-0) and Servite (9-1). Lutheran has battled injuries to key players, like quarterback Bobby Wheatley (shoulder) and running back/linebacker Garrett Gilliland (ankle). Mike Markovsky has played well in Wheatley’s absence, and another offensive bright spot has been running back Damani Wilson (990 yards, eight rushing touchdowns).

Mater Dei (6-4) – The Monarchs beat St. John Bosco of Bellflower on Friday to finish third in the Trinity League. They play an old foe – Bishop Amat of La Puente, which was a longtime rival of Mater Dei’s in the old Angelus League and later in the Serra League. Mater Dei has lost to good teams like Orange Lutheran, Servite and Edison, and beat Centennial of Corona when Centennial was No. 6 in California. Junior quarterback Max Wittick seems to improve weekly, and Victor Blackwell might be the best receiver in the county (42 catches, 899 yards and 10 touchdowns).

Newport Harbor (6-4) – Newport Harbor finished in a three-way tie for second place in the Sunset League, with Fountain Valley and Los Alamitos. Coin flips put Newport as the league’s No. 4 representative so the Sailors needed to qualify as the division’s at-large team, and got it. The Sailors beat Los Alamitos in a league game. Receiver/linebacker Cecil Whiteside, who committed to Cal, was selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Game. Cedric Whitaker has emerged as a fine running back, with 967 yards.

Servite (9-1) – Servite went 5-0 to win the Trinity League championship, the first time a team has gone undefeated in the league since it was created in 2006. It is the fifth league championship in Coach Troy Thomas’ five years coaching the Friars. Cody Fajardo has been outstanding at quarterback. He is the team’s leading rusher, at 661 yards, and has passed for 1,647 yards and 14 touchdowns. Rudy Guerrero and Chris Nicholls have been big-play receivers, and Nicholls is a threat running the ball, too. Servite averaged 42 points a game in league.

San Clemente (6-4) – The Tritons finished third in the South Coast League, with a 3-2 league record. They lost to Dana Hills and Mission Viejo in league. San Clemente lost to La Habra in a nonleague game, but beat two good ones, too, Trabuco Hills and El Toro, in nonleague. Quarterback Chase Rettig has completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,641 yards and 18 touchdowns, but has 11 thrown interceptions, too. Receiver Dominick Ela has 49 catches for 622 yards. The Tritons have given up a lot of points, 26 a game. They have a tough first-round challenge – Servite.

Los Alamitos (8-2) – The Griffins finished in a three-way tie for second place in the Sunset League. After a coin flip knocked Newport Harbor down to No. 4, Los Alamitos’ victory over Fountain Valley last week made the Griffins the league’s No. 2 playoff representative. They play Long Beach Poly in the first round Friday at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach; it is Los Al’s home game, but Vets also is Poly’s home field. Griffins running back Nick Richardson has been spectacular. He is averaging 173 yards a game. Quarterback Dylan Lagarde, who transferred during the season from Poly, had a fine game against Fountain Valley last week, going 14 for 21 for 172 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.

Fountain Valley (8-2) – The Barons go into the playoffs on a two-game losing streak. They lost to Edison, 24-0, in the “Battle for the Bell” game, then got beat by Los Alamitos, 31-22, last week. Kyle Middlebrooks has been terrific at running back. He is averaging 160 yards a game and has rushed for 18 touchdowns. Ryan Steadman has been a standout at receiver. He has 30 receptions for 536 yards. The Barons gave up an average of 26 points a game in league, but overall have scored 35 points a game.

Mission Viejo (10-0) – Mission Viejo went 5-0 to win the South Coast League championship. The Diablos have dominated. They averaged 52 points a game in league, while allowing only nine points a game. Their closes game all season was a 19-point nonleague victory over Loyola of Los Angeles. Dallin McEwen has been steady at quarterback, completing 61 percent of his throws for 1,559 yards and 17 touchdowns with only five interceptions. Receiver Joey Branker has 41 receptions and is averaging 24 yards a catch. The Diablos’ outstanding defense is led by linebacker Tre Madden and defensive back Jake Marshall.

"I figured we would get in," he said. "Looking at the criteria, we're the team that fit. I would have been surprised and very disappointed if we didn't get in."

Harbor was the No. 4 team in the Sunset League -- the top three teams were guaranteed entry into the Pac-5 Division playoffs, so Harbor had to hope for the division's at-large berth, which it got this morning. Coin flips made Harbor the No. 4 team, after it finished in a three-way tie for second in the Sunset with Los Alamitos and Fountain Valley.

O.C. teams still alive: No. 1 Newport Harbor; No. 2 Los Alamitos; Santa Margarita; Mater Dei

The line up:

Newport Harbor-Long Beach Poly: The Sailors take on an athletic Poly club playing with nothing to lose. Newport Harbor is going to have a height advantage, and should have the deeper lineup. The Jackrabbits speed and talented setter can cause problems for defenses. The Sailors defeated Poly in five games in the both teams opening match this season.

Santa Margarita-Long Beach Wilson: This is a rematch of last year's semifinals, won by the Eagles. However, both teams feature new players. Santa Margarita must find a way to slow the Bears' opposites. Wilson, on the other hand, must find a way to contain the Eagles outside duo. The match could come down to who can control the middle the best.

Mira Costa-Lakewood: Another big-time match up, this one is semifinal worthy. Lakewood has the home court advantage, and that could be huge. Mira Costa's gym is notoriously tough to play in. The Lakewood crowd is sure to show up and rock the house.

Los Alamitos-Mater Dei: The subplot in this one is Mater Dei's Jimmy Munoz going against his former school and assistant coach Dave Huber. Los Alamitos is the heavy favorite. They have too much depth and height for Mater Dei.

Comments: I feel any team out of Newport, Los Al, Wilson, Mira Costa and Lakewood can win the championship. That makes the Mira Costa-Lakewood match the biggest to me, because a very good squad is going home. I think Santa Margarita matches up well with Wilson, and has a good shot of pulling the upset.

More from the girls volleyball blog:

• Girls volleyball playoffs: Division I-AA bracket (updated)
• Girls volleyball playoffs: Division I-A bracket (updated)
• Girls volleyball playoffs: Division II-AA bracket (updated)
• Girls volleyball playoffs: Division II-A bracket (updated)
• Girls volleyball playoffs: Division IV-AA bracket (updated)

Check it out and see how the teams ended:

1. Los Alamitos (47)

2. Newport Harbor (44)

3. El Dorado (41)

4. Santa Margarita (37)

5. Corona del Mar (30)

6. Troy (23)

7. San Clemente (18)

8. Laguna Beach (16)

9. Orange Lutheran (12)

10. Mater Dei (7)

More from the girls volleyball blog:

• Girls volleyball playoffs: Division II-A analysis and outlook
• Girls volleyball playoffs: Division II-AA analysis and outlook
• Girls volleyball playoffs: Divison I-A analysis and outlook
• Girls volleyball playoffs: Division I-AA analysis and outlook
• Girls volleyball playoffs: Division V-AA draw