Despite a disappointing loss to Mater Dei in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 semifinals, Mira Costa’s girls volleyball team has turned its focus on a State title, earning a No. 5 seed in the Southern Region bracket of the elite Open Division.
Mira Costa (30-9) will travel south to face No. 4 Torrey Pines (27-5) in a 7 p.m. match on Thursday. The Mustangs have faced Torrey Pines twice this season in tournament competition.
“We are excited to face them again,” Mira Costa head coach Hayley Blanchard said. “I think they are a team we match up well against, and with the added bonus of having film and experience against them, it should be a good night for us.”
The winner will advance and likely play top-seeded and CIF-SS Division 1 champion Santa Margarita in the second round on Tuesday.
Mira Costa, who has defeated Santa Margarita twice this season, would like nothing better than to get a rematch with No. 2 Mater Dei in the Regional Finals on Saturday, Nov. 26. The State championship match will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 at Santiago Canyon College in Orange.
“It was definitely a hard loss for us last week against Mater Dei, but after a few days off and an opponent to prepare for, I know the girls will come back re-grouped and ready to fight,” Blanchard said. “We have talked about and will continue to remember that CIF champions do not mean State champions, and we are back on an even playing field with all the other teams in the Open Division. Past wins and losses are completely in the past.”
Brackets and results available at cifstate.org.
