Four county teams qualify for CCS boys volleyball playoffs
SAN JOSE - Four Santa Cruz County boys volleyball teams learned their division placement and first-round opponents at the Central Coast Section seeding meeting on Saturday.
Harbor (31-5 overall), the 2025 CCS Division II champion, was placed in the prestigious Open Division after dominating in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League. The Pirates were awarded the No. 4 seed and host No. 5 Harker (23-8) in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
"It's an absolute honor to represent the SCCAL as the only B-League team in the Open Division. It's also a Harbor boys volleyball program first, so that's really exciting," Pirates coach Kendall Ronzano said. "When we sat down and talked goals, the players were adamant about two things: winning league and setting another program first by earning a spot in Open. They've worked incredibly hard, trusted the process, and checked every box they needed to put themselves in this position."
Santa Cruz, Mount Madonna, and Pacific Collegiate also made the playoffs and compete in D-II.
Harbor needs to one match to qualify for the CIF NorCal Regional playoffs for second straight season.
The Pirates' opening opponent, Harker (23-8), the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League's De Anza League champion, has enjoyed prior success in the playoffs. The Eagles have won three CCS titles since 2019, the last coming in '23 in D-II.
"The team was beaming when I shared the news with them at practice today," Ronzano said. "I'm ecstatic that we get to share this program first with a home crowd. This is exactly the opportunity this group wanted from Day One, and now it's their moment to seize it."
If Harbor wins its opener, it'll face either No. 8 Los Gatos (19-9) or No. 1 Bellarmine (27-6) in Thursday's semifinal.
In quarterfinals on the other side of the bracket, No. 6 Monta Vista (23-8) plays at No. 3 Archbishop Mitty (26-7), and No. 7 Valley Christian (22-8) plays at No. 2 Saint Francis (26-10) of Mountain View.
The championship will be held at Saint Francis on Saturday.
PCS (12-5), the No. 14 seed after winning the Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division title, its first league crown since 2017, plays at No. 3 Sacred Heart Cathedral (14-20) in San Francisco on Monday at 6 p.m.
The Fightin' Irish took sixth place in the West Catholic Athletic League.
The winner faces either No. 11 Westmoor (18-8) or No. 6 Monterey (13-24) in Tuesday's quarterfinals.
Mount Madonna (17-12), the No. 4 seed after taking third in the SCCAL, also plays Monday at 6 p.m.
The Hawks host No. 13 University Prep Academy (18-11) of San Jose in the first round. The Golden Eagles took first in the Private Schools Athletic League's South Division.
The winner faces either No. 12 Summit Shasta (19-8) of Daly City or No. 5 Hillsdale (18-6) of San Mateo in Tuesday's quarterfinals.
Santa Cruz (21-13), the SCCAL runner-up and No. 2 seed, opens Tuesday at home at 6 p.m. against Monday's winner between No. 10 Wilcox (12-11) and No. 7 Prospect (21-9).
Only one other team received a first-round bye, No. 1 Carmel (20-6), the PCAL Gabilan Division champion.
IF YOU GO
Monday's first round
Division II: No. 14 Pacific Collegiate (12-5) at No. 3 Sacred Heart Cathedral (14-20), 6 p.m.
D-II: No. 13 University Prep (18-11) at No. 4 Mount Madonna (17-12), 6 p.m.
Tuesday's quarterfinals
Open: No. 5 Harker (23-8) at No. 4 Harbor (31-5), 6 p.m.
D-II: No. 10 Wilcox (12-11)-No. 7 Prospect (21-9) at No. 2 Santa Cruz (21-13), 6 p.m.
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