Tournament toughness

Mike Sciacca

Annually, the Orange County Championships is considered one of the

premiere prep volleyball tournaments in the southland.

This year’s event, which 32 teams playing at four locations over a

three-day period, only adds to the prestige.

The Laguna Beach Breakers will be part of the playing field, and

will contend for the Division I title.

The tournament begins today, continues Saturday and concludes with

the Division I and Division II finals on Monday.

Edison and Marina highs will co-host the Division I bracket, and

Laguna will play at the Marina gymnasium.

The Breakers open tournament pool play with a pair of games today.

First up, they take on Dana Hills a 4:15 p.m.

They come back at 6:45 p.m. to take on Foothill.

Laguna defeated Foothill last Saturday in the semifinal round of

the Foothill tournament, a tournament won by the Breakers.

Laguna defeated Capistrano Valley, 25-13, in the final.

Capo Valley also is entered in the OC Championships.

Laguna comes into the tournament boasting an overall record of 6-3

and, arguably, has played one of, if not the, toughest nonleague

schedule to date.

“We’re a work in progress, but we’re getting better,” Laguna coach

Lance Stewart said. “We don’t need to get taller, we don’t need to

get quicker, and we don’t need to improve offensively. We simply need

to serve tougher. That’s the one aspect of our game that needs

improving.”

The Division II bracket play will be hosted by Newport Harbor and

Estancia.

Both division championship finals will be played at Edison on

Monday, the Division II match beginning at 5:30 p.m., followed by the

Division I final.

Each division features 16 teams, consisting of four pools of four

teams.

In Division I, the top two teams from each pool will compete in

the eight-team championship bracket at Edison. On Saturday, winners

of the first-round playoff matches will advance to the Gold Division

(first- through third-place), and the losers will play in the Gold

Division consolation (fifth- through seventh-place).

The third- and fourth-place teams from each pool will play in the

Silver Division consolation bracket at Marina to determine places

ninth through 14th.

In Division II, the championship bracket playoffs will be held at

Newport Harbor, and the consolation bracket playoffs will be played

at Estancia.

The tournament begins at 3 p.m. today and the final match will be

played at 6:45 p.m.

The tournament continues Saturday, beginning at 8 a.m. and runs

all day.

All matches are two out of three games to 25 points rally scoring,

and a third game, if necessary, will be played to 15 points.

Thirty-two teams split among two divisions, fighting for two of

the county’s most coveted tournament titles.

This year is the 32nd year for the Orange County Championships,

and Laguna as been a dominant force in the tournament.

Laguna has won the tournament on nine occasions and has reached

the tournament final a total of 14 times.

However, Laguna has not played in a division final since 1995, and

last won the tourney title in 1989.

“We want to be known as one of the top programs around, regardless

of what division we’re in, and a tournament of this magnitude gives

us an opportunity to establish such a reputation,” Stewart said.

Last year, Laguna “surprised some people,” Stewart said, and

finished tied for third, overall, at the tournament.

San Clemente, which defeated the Breakers in the semifinal round,

won the Division I title last spring.

“It’s loaded once again and there is so much parity among these

outstanding teams, that it’s a toss-up as to who will win this

thing,” Edison coach Brian Boone said. “There will be a lot of great

volleyball being played.”

Here is a listing of the schools in the Division I pools:

Pool 1: Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Foothill, Dana Hills; Pool

2: San Clemente, Corona del Mar, Los Alamitos, Marina; Pool 3:

Edison, Mater Dei, Newport Harbor; Capistrano Valley; Pool 4:

Woodbridge, Esperanza, Mission Viejo, Fountain Valley.

Here is a listing of the schools in the Division II pools:

Pool 1: Arcadia, Long Beach Millikan, Valley Christian, Costa

Mesa; Pool 2: Orange Lutheran, North Torrance, Northwood, Cypress;

Pool 3: Clovis West, Lakewood, Canyon, Long Beach Poly; Pool 4:

Tesoro, Estancia, El Toro, Villa Park.

Friday’s schedule

Division I

(at Marina High)

3 p.m.: Huntington vs. Foothill; San Clemente vs. Los Alamitos.

4:15 p.m.: Laguna Beach vs. Dana Hills; Corona del Mar vs. Marina.

5:30 p.m.: Huntington vs. Dana Hills; San Clemente vs. Marina.

6:45 p.m.: Laguna Beach vs. Foothill; Corona del Mar vs. Los

Alamitos.

Division I

(At Edison High)

3 p.m.: Edison vs. Newport Harbor; Woodbridge vs. Mission Viejo.

4:15 p.m.: Mater Dei vs. Capo Valley; Esperanza vs. Fountain

Valley.

5:30 p.m.: Edison vs. Capo Valley; Woodbridge vs. Fountain Valley.

6:45 p.m.: Mater Dei vs. Newport Harbor; Esperanza vs. Mission

Viejo.

Division II

(at Newport Harbor High)

3 p.m.: Arcadia vs. Valley Christian; Orange Lutheran vs.

Northwood.

4:15 p.m.: Long Beach Millikan vs. Costa Mesa; North Torrance vs.

Cypress.

5:30 p.m.: Arcadia vs. Costa Mesa; Orange Lutheran vs. Cypress.

6:45 p.m.: Long Beach Millikan vs. Valley Christian; North

Torrance vs. Northwood.

Division II

(at Estancia High)

3 p.m.: Clovis West vs. Canyon; Tesoro vs. El Toro.

4:15 p.m.: Lakewood vs. Long Beach Poly; Estancia vs. Villa Park.

5:30 p.m.: Clovis West vs. Long Beach Poly; Tesoro vs. Villa Park.

6:45 p.m.: Lakewood vs. Canyon; Estancia vs. El Toro.