CCS volleyball playoffs: Salinas begins defense of title as No. 3 seed
SAN JOSE — It’s been six years since a high school volleyball team in the county has repeated as Central Coast Section divisional champions.
Salinas will look to become just the third program in county history to achieve that feat, as it was seeded No. 3 in Division I, earning a first-round bye after Thursday’s seeding meeting in San Jose.
The only other volleyball programs to claim successive section titles came when Santa Catalina won back-to-back Division V crowns 2016-2017, and when Notre Dame captured three straight Division IV titles between 2002-2004.
The Cowboys were one of nine teams in Monterey County seeded among the five divisions for the postseason, which begins on Saturday with first round matches.
“I feel our body of work over the last month is a better indication of where we are right now as a program,” Salinas coach Chloe Goldman said. “But after the first round, it’s anyone’s guess.”
The Cowboys (21-10) will open the tournament on Tuesday in the quarterfinals, hosting No. 6 seed Mountain View, who posted a 20-9 overall record.
Runner-ups in the Gabilan Division to Carmel, the Cowboys closed the regular season with seven straight wins, welcoming the return of hitter Indy Aguilar, who missed five matches because of an injury.
“Even though she’s one of our top hitters, she’s the best defender in the county,” Goldman said. “We’re jelling at the right time. We relied so heavily on one player last year. All these kids had to learn different roles, had to find their way.”
Having completed an undefeated league season with its first title in 10 years, Carmel was seeded No. 2 in Division IV and will await the Half Moon Bay-Notre Dame-Belmont winner on Tuesday.
Anchored by three-time all-league hitter Riley Imamura, the Padres went 21-4 this season, and were undefeated in the month of October.
Joining the Padres in the Division IV bracket includes No. 6 Pacific Grove (13-11), who will host Presentation (10-22) on Saturday at 2 p.m., and Stevenson (10-13), who was seeded No. 13 and will visit No. 4 Scotts Valley (18-9) at 2 p.m.
King City will be making its 39th postseason appearance in the last 41 years as the No. 2 seed in Division III, where it will host the Capuchino-Monterey winner on Tuesday in the quarterfinals.
A 10-game improvement in the win column this fall saw the Mustangs post an 18-10 overall record, finishing in a tie for third in the Gabilan Division behind Carmel and Salinas.
Champions of the Mission Division for the first time in a decade, Monterey (19-12) was seeded No. 7 in Division III and will host No. 10 Capuchino (18-9) on Saturday at 7 p.m.
After showing an eight-game improvement in reaching the postseason last year for the first time in four years, the Toreadores won nine more matches than past fall.
Cypress Division champion Greenfield was seeded No. 8 in the Division III playoffs and will host No. 9 Saratoga (16-6) on Saturday at 7 p.m.
“Saratoga will be a great game for us,” Greenfield coach Adrian Trujillo said. “It’s been a record setting year for us and feels great to host our first CCS volleyball game.”
The Bruins set a school record this past fall with 22 wins, closing the regular season with eight consecutive wins to capture just the programs second ever league title.
Palma’s first season of having girls on campus and girls playing sports has resulted in a No. 6 seed in Division V, where it will visit No. 3 seed Santa Catalina on Tuesday.
After playing their first eight matches with virtually an all-freshman team as transfers were required to sit out a portion of the season, the Chieftains closed the season with 10 consecutive wins.
“I like the first round bye,” first year coach Ivan Garcia said. “As far as the seeding, I was a little surprised at No. 6. We did close the year with 10 straight wins.”
Among those wins were a sweep of playoff bound Monte Vista and a four-set win over Mission Division champion Monterey.
Palma has not lost a match since Garcia got five starters eligible, including outside hitter Maya Giannini, who was a member of The Herald’s All-County volleyball team last year while at Notre Dame.
The Cougars relied on a 13-2 non-league record to get into the playoffs after struggling in the Gabilan Division, finishing 2-12. Both wins, however, came in the final four matches of the league season.
