Saturday's matches
All matches start at 7 p.m. unless noted
Division IV
No. 5 Monte Vista Christian (15-14) at No. 4 King City (24-4)
Defending Central Coast Section Division IV champion Monte Vista is a different looking unit when hitter Cassidy Schurman is in the front row.
Having snapped a string of six straight first round playoff exits, King City served extremely well in a sweep at Gunderson last Wednesday.
Julyssa Arreola served 19 points in the final set, including five aces for the Mustangs, who are in the postseason for the 36th time in 37 years.
Grace Shepherd has been a demon at the net all season for King City, feeding off sets from Cassidy Flores and Megan Flores.
Mattea Romo is coming off an 11-kill effort for Monte Vista, who knocked Carmel out of the CCS quarterfinals last year.
Division IV
No. 6 Carmel (23-9) at No. 3 Harbor (18-11)
The Pirates shared the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League title with Aptos -- a team Carmel swept back on Sept. 15.
Harbor was won four straight matches, including a sweep of Pacific Grove in its postseason opener. A balanced attack at the net starts with Maggie Davis and Tessa Kalafut.
Three players have compiled over 100 kills for the Padres, including Soana Laulotu, who has 253 on the season.
Claire Bishop is a part of Carmel's two-set attack, recording 232 assists along with 103 kills this fall. Madi Lombardi has been a rock in the back row for four years, leading the team with 208 digs.
Division V
No. 8 Alma Heights (20-7) at No. 1 Santa Catalina (22-0)
The Cougars are poised for another section title after posting their second straight undefeated regular season.
With four starters back from last falls State Northern California semifinal team, Santa Catalina is just too deep for any CCS program in Division V to compete with.
McKinley Fox put up MVP type numbers again in the MTAL with close to 600 digs for the Cougars while Maria Santos and Saige Madden have combined for nearly 400 kills.
Four-year libero Olivia Satow ignites Santa Catalina's offense with that first pass in the back row. The senior has over 1,000 digs in her career.
The Cougars swept all three of their section opponents last year, and 20 of 22 teams this year. Look for them to duplicate the feat this season.
Division V
No. 5 Notre Dame (9-10) at No. 4 Crystal Springs Uplands (19-8)
The Spirits went through a rough patch in their season with the loss of four starters to injuries, and ultimately the displacement of their coaching staff two weeks ago for undisclosed reasons.
Yet, the program appeared to look more like the team that was anticipated at the beginning of the season when it battled Monte Vista to five sets in their regular season finale.
For Notre Dame, it all depends on its health. Logan Riggenbach and Meghan Amaral are two of the better younger hitters in the area when healthy.
Crystal Springs finished second in the West Bay Skyline Division behind Kings Academy, who it split its head-to-head battles with.
Sophia Lockton has been the Gryphons big weapon at the net all season.
Division V
No. 10 York (15-2) at No. 2 Mt. Madonna, Watsonville (14-10)
The magic continues for the Coastal Athletic League champion Falcons, who won their first league title with their first undefeated league season, followed by their first postseason win.
Mt. Madonna is anchored by hitters Mara Peruzzi and Paola Jacobs, who have combined for over 400 kills this year, while setter Indigo Kelly has compiled 408 assists.
Setter Emily Patz is coming off a career high 47 assists for York in its four-set win over St. Thomas More last Wednesday.
She also served 22 points for the Falcons while Katie Calciano tallied 29 assists and 21 digs. Jesslyn DeAna has been the teams No. 1 hitter all season.
Division III
No. 6 Monterey (17-15) at No. 3 Hillsdale (20-6), 3 p.m.
Despite dropping two of their last three Pacific Division matches, the Toreadores secured a spot in the Division III playoffs, their first appearance in three years.
Jhailyn Bryant led an assault at the net for Monterey this past fall with nearly 200 kills, feeding off sets from Annika Uemura. Ryanne Botardo has been a nice compliment opposite with 101 kills.
Hillsdale won the Peninsula Ocean Division with a 14-0 record.
Three players have over 100 kills for the Vikings, including 5-foot-10 senior Camryn Yuen, who has 196 while teammate McKenna Anderson has 171
Hillsdale is a defensive minded team with over 1,400 digs, 301 coming from Nadia Barclay.
Monterey is looking for its first postseason win since 2006.
Division I
No. 5 Los Altos (18-16) at No. 4 Salinas (23-8)
Despite a 4-8 record in the Santa Clara Valley De Anza Division, the Eagles earned the No. 5 seed, backing it up with a sweep over Evergreen Valley in their playoff opener.
Los Altos has a pair powerful hitters at the net, starting with 5-foot-11 Hanadi Nassif, who has 284 kills, and 5-10 Jackie Wang and her 189 kills.
The Cowboys will counter with Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo bound Taylor Rose, who put up MVP type numbers this year in the Gabilan Division with 430 kills and 445 digs.
Jennifer Foley and Jovi Marinelli have combined for over 900 assists this year for Salinas, who closed the regular season with five straight wins. Julie Foley was solid in the back with 448 digs.
Six of Salinas' eight losses this year are to teams either seeded No. 1 or No. 2 in their respective divisions in the playoffs, or are in the Open Division playoffs.
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