The CIF Southern Section playoffs begin on Tuesday for boys volleyball with local teams in nearly all nine divisions ready to strive for the ultimate goal.
Numerous teams return to the postseason, while several have earned playoff berths for the first time in years.
Burroughs, Camarillo enter Division 2 gauntlet
Burroughs (22-7) opens up postseason play at home against Yorba Linda (23-6). Yorba Linda, the Freeway League champion, won eight straight matches before falling in five sets in its regular season finale.
Burroughs also enters the postseason on a high note, as a winner of three in a row, including an impressive sweep over Arcadia (33-5). Stanford commit Noah Duffield has led the offense with his big swing and jump serve, but the Bears have played good, all-around volleyball all year. Setter Riley Brinton runs the Burroughs offense where Skyy Alston and Marco Santiago-Dorn will look to add some numbers to the kill totals.
Camarillo (26-4) finished another impressive season atop the Coastal Canyon League and will now take on Canyon of Anaheim (19-10). The Scorpions are led by senior hitters Stanley Filiaga and Breck Bray who have together accounted for over 500 kills and 300 digs.
Burroughs hosts Yorba Linda on Tuesday at 6 p.m. while Camarillo takes on Canyon on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Crescenta Valley, Valencia, Newbury Park highlight loaded Division 3 bracket
The Marmonte League co-champions enter Division 3 on the road as Newbury Park (14-5) heads to Saugus (24-10), while Westlake (12-5) will play Trabuco Hills (14-8). Newbury Park swept Saugus 2-0 back in March, so look for Saugus to try and slow down setter-opposite Ryker Daniels this go-around.
Westlake will look to win its third straight playoff opener and should be on its way to doing so behind more strong play from 6-foot-6 outside hitter Bennett Julian.
Valencia and Canyon could potentially meet down in Division 3. The Foothill League champion Valencia (20-7) will open up at home against the Kennedy Fighting Irish (22-6). Valencia will need more strong play from middle blocker Dylan McFatridge and outside Dylan Murphy. Canyon will open up the playoffs on the road at Foothill.
Crescenta Valley (24-9) is another team to keep an eye on in the bracket. The Falcons could easily find themselves on a long run if 6-foot-5 outside Evan Haytayan and Sena Hunter continue to strive. Crescenta Valley will host North Torrance (18-11-2) to start.
All Division 3 matchups are slated for Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Harvard-Westlake, Agoura and Village Christian take on Division 4
Harvard-Westlake (19-4) finished off the regular season on a heater with 10 wins in a row, earning the No. 2 seed in Division 4. Harvard-Westlake will take on Santa Ana Valley (21-7) to open up the postseason. Harvard-Westlake has been led by strong play from Silas Liftin-Harris and Jackson Hubbard.
Agoura (13-6) will also open up at home as the Chargers host Temple City (15-11). The Chargers are led by Jack Smolarski and opposite Wyatt Arnold, who were pivotal in ending the program’s seven-year playoff drought.
Village Christian (19-9) will also take on the Simi Valley Pioneers (16-10). Juniors Alex Kazaryan and Daniel Franco lead a balanced Village attack that was key in a perfect run through the Olympic League. The Pioneers will look to break out of their rut after dropping six of their final eight matches.
All Division 4 matches are slated for Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Other local Division 4 matches: Quartz Hill at Bolsa Grande, Lancaster at Royal, St. Monica Prep at Oaks Christian
Oak Park, Crespi and Castaic head into Division 5 playoffs
Oak Park (9-12) enters the postseason off back-to-back five-set, must-win matches and will host the Damien Spartans (16-11).
Castaic’s best season yet earned the program its first playoff berth in program history. The Coyotes (19-11) will host the Flintridge Prep Wolves (14-8). There should be plenty of battles of serves and at the net between Castaic opposite Gabe Reinwand and Flintridge outside Kyle Yun as both will be taking a ton of big swings for their teams.
Crespi (15-8) is also a new face to the playoffs as the Celts program finally ended a playoff drought spanning over 14 years. Crespi will hit the road and take on the Bellflower Buccaneers (17-9), an at-large team from the Gateway League. The Celts will need a lot from athletic setter George Bergstrom and outside hitter Dominic Rozema to keep the historic season alive.
All Division 5 games are slated for Wednesday.
Local CIF SS Division 6 Tuesday matchups: St. Francis at La Salle, Alta Loma at Moorpark, Viewpoint at Poly Pasadena.
Local CIF SS Division 7 Wednesday matchups: Canyon Springs at Trinity Classical, Savanna at Oakwood
Local CIF SS Division 8 Tuesday matchups: St. Genevieve at Palmdale Aerospace Academy, Hawthorne Math and Science at Providence.