Tustin will begin the CIF State girls volleyball playoffs on the road Tuesday, facing Granada Hills in a Division IV first-round match. Tustin enters as the No. 13 seed with a 17-18 record, while fourth-seeded Granada Hills is 21-18-1. The matchup follows the conclusion of the sectional championships, with state opening-round matches for Divisions I through V scheduled for Tuesday and Open Division play beginning Wednesday.
Granada Hills’ attacking options include junior setter and opposite Weiwei Gao, senior middle blocker Emma Ochoa and opposite Mardy Vidaca. Elsewhere in Division IV, No. 5 Chatsworth hosts No. 12 Tri-City Christian, and third-seeded Castaic welcomes No. 14 San Pedro. Castaic brings a 19-14 record and a senior-led lineup featuring outside hitters Leyla Buela and Bella Flores.
El Camino Real holds the top seed in Division IV despite entering at 15-15. Its schedule included West Valley League competition and nonleague matches against Moorpark, Crescenta Valley and Chaminade, along with a victory over Castaic. The Royals will host Thursday’s second-round match against the winner of Tuesday’s meeting between No. 9 Sherman Oaks CES and No. 8 Valencia of Placentia.
Kennedy, coming off its first LA City Section championship, travels to Capistrano Valley as Division IV’s No. 10 seed. The Cougars are 30-14, with senior libero Hayden Renteria and attacker Leanna Gonzales among their key players. Seventh-seeded Capistrano Valley enters with a 17-17 record.
Wednesday’s Open Division schedule pairs two teams from the LA Daily News coverage area, with No. 7 Oaks Christian visiting No. 2 Sierra Canyon. Oaks Christian is 26-4, while Sierra Canyon is 32-2 after losing to Mater Dei for the second time. Oaks Christian’s lineup includes outside hitter Malie Ogbechie, sophomore Elyse Wong and Notre Dame commit Trystyn Bailey.
In Division I, top-seeded Harvard-Westlake hosts No. 16 Francis Parker, while No. 11 Notre Dame visits sixth-seeded Frontier of Bakersfield. Harvard-Westlake’s offense features senior outside hitter Ruby Sampson and junior setter Valerie Bazylevych. Division II has sixth-seeded Newbury Park hosting No. 11 Mission Vista and No. 7 Crescenta Valley welcoming No. 10 Westview.
Taft enters Division III as the fifth seed after winning the LA City Open Division championship and will host No. 12 Oceanside. Sixth-seeded Cleveland hosts No. 11 El Toro, while No. 13 Palisades visits fourth-seeded Helix. In Division V, No. 12 Arroyo of San Fernando takes an 8-17 record to fifth-seeded North of Bakersfield. If both Arroyo teams advance, San Fernando’s Eagles would host the Arroyo Knights of El Monte on Thursday.
