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)

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

Santa Margarita celebrates its victory over Orange Lutehran on Tuesday. Kevin Sullivan, The Register

It was bound to happen, or perhaps not, but in either case the nightmare is no more.

Santa Margarita finally won in Orange Lutheran's gym. It happened Tuesday night in four games, 25-19, 21-25, 25-16, 25-19, to close out Trinity League play.

The No. 3 Eagles (21-9, 8-0) had clinched the outright league title for the first time in Trinity League action last week after sharing it with the No. 9 Lancers (16-7, 5-3) since 2006. However, a victory at Lutheran had eluded Santa Margarita until Tuesday night, which closed out a perfect league run for the Eagles.

Lutheran fell into a second-place tie with  No. 10 Mater Dei. The CIF seeding will be determined by a coin flip, with the loser getting a first-round road game at a No. 1 seed's place - nobody's version of a fun trip.

The match swung majorly in Game 3 after the teams split the opening games. Santa Margarita built a 17-4 advantage and never let go of the momentum.

In other results tonight, El Toro picked up a much needed victory over Huntington Beach in five games, 25-21, 25-12, 21-25, 19-25, 15-7, in Sea View League play.

It was much needed in that the Chargers pulled into a first-place tie with the Oilers with one match remaining. Both teams are 6-3. El Toro plays Foothill on Thursday while Huntington Beach faces Woodbridge. The Chargers shared the title with the Warriors last season. Against the Oilers on Tuesday, Christina Bauch led the Chargers with 25 kills.

More from the girls volleyball blog:

• Girls volleyball: Thursday's recap
• Girls volleyball: Newport Harbor-Los Alamitos back on Thursday
• Girls volleyball: Tuesday's recap
• Girls volleyball: Newport Harbor-Los Alamitos postponed
• Girls volleyball: Thursday's recap

The teams were co-champions last year, and their first meeting is going to go a long way in deciding this year's championship.

Here's the breakdown:

No. 4 Santa Margarita

Record: 11-8, 3-0

Notable victories: Long Beach Poly, Laguna Beach, Esperanza

Notable losses: Santa Barbara, Corona del Mar, La Costa Canyon, Newport Harbor, Lakewood, Los Alamitos

Key returners: Kylie Hargreaves (OH), Sam Tinsley (OH), Liz Riggins (MB), Meghan Harman (RS), Katherine Kolodziej (libero)

No. 5 Orange Lutheran

Record: 12-4, 3-0

Notable victories: La Jolla, Laguna Beach, Sunnyslope of Arizona

Notable losses: Corona del Mar, Redondo, Assumption of Kentucky

Key returners: Courtney Castle (OH), Shaq Torres (OH), Hannah Tedrow (Setter)

Outlook: In a match of this caliber, there is always the pressure of defending the home court advantage in the first round, which falls on the Eagles in this one. It looks to be a showdown between the team's pair of hitters. For Santa Margarita, it's Kylie Hargreaves and Sam Tinsley. For OLu, it's Courtney Castle and Shaq Torres. Neither team is dominant in the middle. The Lancers return setter Hannah Tedrow, and would seem to have the edge in passing. In the end, there doesn't seem to be much separating these teams. That means it's going to come down to the basics: Eliminate service errors, focus on the first pass, and get hands on lots of balls on defense. Whichever team does that the best will win.

Prediction: Santa Margarita in 5, 18-16.

More from the girls volleyball blog:

• Girls volleyball: Tuesday's roundup
• Girls volleyball: Newport Harbor-Los Al analysis
• Girls volleyball: Newport Harbor wraps it up
• Girls volleyball: Los Al escapes with Game 3
• Girls volleyball: Newport Harbor rolls in Game 2

However, it was a rough day for the three county teams involved. No. 1 Los Alamitos, No. 4 Santa Margarita and No. 9 Laguna Beach each lost.

Here's a recap and breakdown of the action:

Player of the Day: Rebecca Strehlow (Long Beach Wilson). The sophomore S/RS finished with 26 kills, 15 assists and 3 blocks in her team's victory over Los Alamitos.

Match 2

Laguna Beach (No. 4 Division I-A)  vs. Long Beach Poly (No. 9 Division I-AA)

Winner: Poly 25-19, 25-22, 21-25, 25-14

Analysis: In the end Poly's depth and athleticism presented too much to overcome for the Breakers. The match saw a big swing in Game 2. Laguna had leads of 16-12, 17-13, and 19-16, before Poly rallied to take the game. That made Laguna's uphill climb all the more steeper. Had they held on, the match would have looked entirely different. Laguna's strong effort in Game 3 saw great defense, and after a poor serving job in the prior game the Breakers cut out those costly errors. However a fifth game wasn't meant to be. Poly simply overwhelmed Laguna in the final game.

Match 3

Los Alamitos (No. 2 Division I-AA) vs. Long Beach Wilson (No. 4 Division I-AA)

Winner: Wilson 25-19, 22-25, 22-25, 25-16, 15-10

Analysis: As promised, this match provided the best volleyball of the day. The Griffins just ran out of steam, plain and simple. They played a five-game match last night, losing at Dos Pueblos and not arriving home until almost midnight. Then to have to get up and play less than 20 hours later is a tough gig. However, Wilson is a talented club that plays tremendous defense and sets clean. There's no mistaking they are among the contenders this year. Wilson gets their hands on so many balls, and doesn't make too many errors. They made Los Al win the point. The Griffins have shown they have all the talent they need, but they go as their passing goes. They struggled late in Game 1, and Wilson used a 7-2 run to finish the game. The ball control picked up in games 2 and 3, both victories.

Match 4

Santa Margarita (No. 10 Division I-AA) vs. Lakewood (No. 3 Division I-AA)

Winner: Lakewood 25-20, 25-21, 25-17

Analysis: It was a tough assignment for the Eagles and it showed. Lakewood was just a little bit better in every area, and it made all the difference. Santa Margarita just couldn't play from ahead. They played a tight Game 2, with the teams going back and forth throughout. The Eagles led 12-11 but not again. They tied Lakewood at 19, and trailed 22-20, but couldn't pull it out. The letdown was apparent in Game 3, and Lakewood took advantage by closing it out. The Eagles are obviously not the same team that won CIF last year, but they are a team with enough to make it happen in the playoffs. They just have to execute crisper and cut out the errors. They don't have enough to overcome those this year.

Sponsors for next year's event: The event organizers are looking to build the event for next year, and sponsorship is the best way to make it happen. The best way to find out information is to shoot Poly's coach Jeff Eyanson an email to inquire. Here it is jeff4vba@gmail.com.

It's a great lineup they put together and it would be awesome to see the event grow.

More from the girls volleyball blog:

It features three teams from Orange County, all ranked in the top 10.

The schedule is as follows:

Millikan vs. Warren, 1 p.m.
Long Beach Poly vs. No. 9 Laguna Beach, 3 p.m.
Wilson vs. No. 1 Los Alamitos, 5 p.m.
Lakewood vs. No. 4 Santa Margarita, 7 p.m.

It's a fantastic lineup. Los Al is currently ranked No. 2 in the Division I-AA coaches' poll; Wilson is No. 4.

Lakewood is No. 3 and Santa Margarita No. 10 in the coaches rankings.

And Long Beach Poly is No. 9, while Laguna Beach is No. 5 in Division I-A.

More from the girls volleyball blog:

Girls volleyball: Thursday's recap

Girls volleyball: No. 9 Laguna Beach tested

Girls volleyball: No. 3 El Dorado rolls

Girls volleyball: Tuesday's recap

Girls volleyball: Thursday's recap

What happened:

Records: Laguna Hills 5-3; Santa Margarita 1-5

Highlights: Jocelyn Lu swept at No. 1 singles for Laguna Hills, dropping two games in her final set. The Hawks also received sweeps from No. 2 singles player Mikey Barthelmass, the No. 1 doubles of Morgan Day and Becca Marshall.

Impact: The Eagles were playing without No. 1 singles player Amanda Figueroa, who was out sick. It would have made the match closer, probably 10-8, but the Hawks were likely to win either way Wednesday. The loss will likely knock the Eagles from the top 10. Does that create an opening for Laguna Hills to get in?

High five to ...: Sarah Sizemore and Sarah Rosen. The Laguna Hills No. 2 doubles team took two of three sets. The only one they lost was to the Eagles' No. 1 doubles team of Kamille Paddie and McKinzie Gallagher, 7-6.

More from the girls tennis blog:

• Girls tennis: Sea View League preview
• Girls tennis: Pacific Coast League preview
• Girls tennis: South Coast League preview
• Girls tennis: Sunset League preview
• Girls tennis: Freeway League preview

On Saturday night, banners were hung, and jerseys were given to their parents. It was an emotional night as the Eagles fought hard but lost to JSerra, 5-2. Video by Jonathan Khamis, video.ocregister.com

DIVISION I-AA

1. Los Alamitos

2. Santa Margarita

3. Mira Costa

4. Long Beach Wilson

5. Murrieta Valley

6. Orange Lutheran

7. Newport Harbor

8. Capistrano Valley

9. Lakewood

10. Long Beach Poly

•••••    •••••    •••••

DIVISION I-A

1. Santa Barbara

2. Dos Pueblos

3. Marymount

4. Laguna Beach

5. Huntington Beach

6. El Dorado

7. West Ranch

8. Notre Dame Academy

9. El Toro

10. Rancho Cucamonga

•••••    •••••    •••••

DIVISION II-AA

1. Redlands East Valley

2. Corona del Mar

3. Bishop Montgomery

4. Beckman

5. Walnut

6. St. Lucy’s

7. South Hills

8. South Torrance

9. St. Joseph

10. Ayala

•••••    •••••    •••••

DIVISION II-A

1. La Canada

2. La Reina

3. Troy

4. Elsinore

5. Oxnard

6. Oaks Christian

7. Oak Park

8. Fullerton

9. La Habra

10. St. Bonaventure

•••••    •••••    •••••

DIVISION III-AA

1. Brentwood

2. Campbell Hall

3. Bonita

4. Quartz Hill

5. Granite Hills

6. Santa Ynez

7. Downey

8. Village Christian

9. Palm Springs

10. Palm Desert

•••••    •••••    •••••

DIVISION III-A

1. Mayfield

2. Chadwick

3. Santa Monica

4. La Mirada

5. Gabrielino

6. Cerritos

7. San Gabriel

8. Webb

9. Poly

10. San Dimas

•••••    •••••    •••••

DIVISION IV-AA

1. Whittier Christian

2. St. Margaret’s

3. Calvary Murrieta

4. Laguna Blanca

5. Arrowhead Christian

6. Sage Hill

7. Windward

8. Ontario Christian

9. Viewpoint

10. Serra

•••••    •••••    •••••

DIVISION IV-A

1. Upland Christian

2. Notre Dame

3. Nordhoff

4. Frazier Mountain

5. Desert Christian

6. Alverno

7. Big Bear

8. Gladstone

9. Twentynine Palms

10. La Sierra Academy

•••••    •••••    •••••

DIVISION V-AA

1. Connelly

2. Santa Clarita Christian

3. Milken Community

4. Lucerne Valley

5. Sierra Canyon

6. Joshua Springs

7. Pacifica Christian

8. Capistrano Valley Christian

9. Desert Christian

10. Victor Valley Christian

•••••    •••••    •••••

DIVISION V-A

1. Lake Arrowhead Christian

2. Wildwood

3. Hillcrest Christian

4. Eastside Christian

5. Baker Valley

6. Conerstone

7. Orangewood Academy

8. Marywood-Palm Valley

9. Death Valley Academy

10. West Shores

1. Santa Margarita

2. Esperanza

3. Peninsula

4. Upland

Breakdown: Santa Margarita has to like its pool. The Aztecs are a solid club, but it would take something to upend the Eagles. Peninsula and Upland are fighting uphill battles for the gold bracket spots.

Pool play begins 3:30 p.m Friday
1 VS 3 – REF 2
2 VS 4 – REF 1
1 VS 4 – REF 3
2 VS 3 – REF 1

Saturday morning games start at 8 a.m.
3 VS 4 – REF 2
1 VS 2 – REF 4

Pool 1

Pool 2

Pool 3

Pool 4

Pool 5

Pool 6

Pool 7

Pool 8