NEWPORT BEACH – It was the final regular-season match for the San Clemente and Newport Harbor girls volleyball teams, a nonleague match that means nothing to their final league standings.
“What we told our girls,” Newport Harbor coach Pat Eaton said, “‘the playoffs start tonight.’”
The CIF Southern Section playoffs do not begin until next week. Playoff brackets will be released Saturday morning. But both teams played with a high level of effort and spirit as if the playoffs were already here.
Newport Harbor, led by another all-around effort by junior outside hitter Ella Olson, beat San Clemente in three sets Tuesday at Newport Harbor High: 25-14, 25-23 and 25-23.
Newport Harbor will take a 25-8 record into the playoffs. The Sailors, who finished second to Los Alamitos in the Sunset League, went 10-2 in league.
San Clemente finished the regular season 24-10. The Tritons went 8-0 in the Sea View League.
The makeup of CIF-SS playoff divisions – which teams go into which divisions, and how teams are seeded in those divisions – are determined by a rankings system provided by Massey Ratings. The final regular-season rankings will be released Friday.
The most recently-released rankings, published last week, had Newport Harbor at No. 12 in the Southern Section. San Clemente was No. 16.
The cover sheet of the rankings stated that CIF-SS Division 1 is shaping up to be a 12-16 team division.
Olson, All-Orange County first team last season, was as usual the best player on the court Tuesday. One one Sailors point, Olson made two difficult digs to keep the point alive, then made a back-row kill to finish the rally.
San Clemente’s top player was senior outside hitter Ashton Nelson.
The quality of play was high, and should help get both teams get ready for the playoffs.
“It’s why we wanted to play San Clemente,” Eaton said. “They’re such a good program.”