Top-ranked Mira Costa begins its playoff run Saturday in search for its third consecutive girls championship in the Interscholastic Beach Volleyball League (IBVL).
The Mustangs finished the regular season 10-0 winning the tough Bay Division that will send four teams to the playoffs. Following Mira Costa as the top 10 seeds are Valencia, Edison, Mater Dei, Santa Barbara, Westlake, Saddleback Valley Christian, Laguna Beach, Arroyo Grande and Marymount.
First-round action takes place Thursday. Mira Costa plays the wild-card winner between Buena and Harvard-Westlake at 4:30 p.m. at Dockweiler State Beach.
Redondo and South Torrance tied for second with identical records (5-5, 4-4) and Palos Verdes (5-5, 3-5) earned an at-large berth.
Redondo and South open the playoffs on Monday with 3:30 p.m. contests at Huntington City Beach. The Sea Hawks take on Orange Division champion Edison while South faces Huntington Beach, runner-up in the Sunset Division.
Palos Verdes plays a wild-card match against Santa Ynez at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Ventura Harbor. The winner advances to face No.2 Valencia at Dockweiler on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
All games after the first round will be played at the Annenberg Beach House in Santa Monica. Second round action will be held Wednesday, May 13 and Friday, May 15. Quarterfinal, semifinal and championship games take place Saturday, May 16.
Coached by 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist Eric Fonoimoana, Mira Costa’s girls beach volleyball program has grown at a rapid pace. Along with the varsity squad, Mira Costa fields two teams – junior varsity and frosh/soph – that compete in the Junior Varsity division. The program also has its own website miracostabeach.com.
“Our girls are playing well but the competition is very tough,” Fonoimoana said. “More girls are playing beach volleyball now that it has become an NCAA championship sport. College scholarships provide a great opportunity for girls playing beach volleyball.”
Fonoimoana is passionate about preparing young players for the next level. He and fellow Hall of Famers Holly McPeak and Barbra Fontana are coaches at Elite Beach Volleyball which help prepare elite female players for NCAA competition. Elite currently has 28 scholarship girls heading to college to play beach volleyball.
Mira Costa’s future in the IBVL looks promising as its JV team (10-0) and Frosh/Soph (8-2) teams finished atop the Junior Varsity Bay Division.
Saturday at Dockweiler State Beach, the JV Championships will be held along with the IBVL Pairs Tournament featuring the top varsity players determined by finishes in division play.
Starting with eight teams in the spring of 2012, the IBVL included 55 varsity teams in 11 divisions this season in addition to 20 junior varsity squads.
Schedules and results available at ibvl.org.
