Girls’ volleyball: Notre Dame/SO, St. Joseph meet in quarterfinals

The second round of the CIF-Southern Section girls’ volleyball playoffs Oct. 20 saw six Catholic school teams advance to the quarterfinals, joining Mater Dei and Marymount in their quest for titles.

At least one Catholic school semifinalist is assured, with Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks (21-8) and St. Joseph/Lakewood (24-6) slated to meet in the Division 2 quarters. Notre Dame (ranked fifth in D-2) defeated Santiago/Corona 25-21, 25-21, 25-20, while St. Joseph (No. 4) outlasted Edison, 18-25, 25-21, 25-20, 17-25, 15-10. Flintridge Sacred Heart (25-15) was beaten by San Clemente in four sets.

Also moving forward after second round victories are Alemany, Bishop Montgomery, St. Anthony and Villanova Prep. The results:

D-3: Sixth-seeded Alemany (25-6) stopped Arcadia in four sets, and next plays third-seeded Laguna Beach (16-12). Notre Dame Academy (17-14) lost in straight sets to Burroughs/Burbank.

D-4: Third-seeded Bishop Montgomery (20-12) downed Mayfair 25-17, 25-16, 25-23, and will meet No. 6 Alta Loma (27-8) in the quarterfinals.

D-5: St. Anthony (21-10) upended favored Cerritos 28-26, 14-25, 26-24, 25-19, and next plays Oak Hills (25-7), which beat Bishop Amat (19-8) in straight sets.

D-6: St. Genevieve (13-11) won the first set but ultimately fell to favored Duarte 17-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-21.

D-7: Mary Star of the Sea (18-9) and Sacred Heart (12-8) each lost in straight sets to Cate and Don Lugo, respectively.

D-8: Villanova (13-5) beat Orangewood Academy in straight sets and will play its quarterfinal match against either Pacific Christian/Santa Monica or Santa Clarita Christian, who play Oct. 22.

No second round matches occurred in the 16-team Division 1 bracket. The Oct. 24 quarterfinals include Mater Dei (36-2) vs. Long Beach Poly (30-8) and Marymount (30-8) vs. Foothill/Santa Ana (21-3), as well as Redondo Union vs. San Juan Hills and Sierra Canyon vs. Temecula Valley.

Semifinals in all divisions are Oct. 27 and finals Nov. 3, followed by Southern California Regional and State Championships.

Mike Nelson is the former editor of The Tidings (predecessor of Angelus News).

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