Lady Broncos earn fourth-straight SWL title
— Two months…that’s how long the high school volleyball regular season is. For several area teams that journey is extended until Thursday, Oct. 20, and could last longer, as they qualified for the CIF-SS playoffs. All the action will start this week and finish on November 4th and 5th with finals at Cerritos College or campus venues.
Not only did more than a dozen local programs make the postseason, but a pair of area teams earned high seeds in Vista Murrieta and Rancho Christian.
The Lady Broncos (13-6), Southwestern League champions for a fourth straight year, earned a No. 2 seed in Division 2. They are one of five teams in that bracket to earn a bye. Their playoff journey will begin on evening of Saturday, Oct. 22, against either Etiwanda or Orange Lutheran at Bronco Arena. Vista Murrieta is led by senior outside hitter Claire Little, a BYU commit.
In Division 6 Rancho Christian (28-6) also earned a No. 2 seed after winning the Sunbelt League without dropping a set. It’s a return to postseason play for the Lady Eagles, but not as a result of poor play. As a result of Carnegie’s (Riverside) closure following the ‘18-’19 school year Rancho Christian was left without a home league and freelanced for a couple of years. In 2019 they were ranked No. 1 in Division 7, but with no available spots in the draw, they were forced to sit and watch as Desert Christian (Bermuda Dunes) took home the title. This is the first year they are members of the Raincross Conference, replacing Notre Dame/Riverside who went to the Arrowhead Athletic Conference.
“Ellie Nichols and Mariah Hughes are so excited to lead this young team into the CIF-SS playoffs,” says first year head coach Luci Villafana. “We’re very underclassmen heavy so a lot of these girls have not seen competition at this level, but we have been working hard all season and I think we are ready for the road ahead.”
Villafana played on Cornerstone Christian’s 2019 CIF-SS championship team which defeated Avalon at Catalina Island to bring home a title. The Lady Eagles will host Knight (Palmdale) in a first-round matchup.
Other matchups involving Valley News area teams include:
Division Two:
Great Oak at Foothill
JSerra at Murrieta Valley
Temecula Valley at Corona Santiago
Chaparral at San Juan Hills
Division Three:
Millikan at Paloma Valley
Division Four:
Elsinore @ Desert Christian Academy (Bermuda Dunes)
Division Five:
Linfield Christian at Capistrano Valley Christian
Division Six:
Indio at Temescal Canyon
Division Eight:
AB Miller at Temecula Prep
Liberty at California Lutheran
All first-round matches are scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 20, at 6pm, unless another time and date are mutually agreed upon. If changes are made, please email socaltrekkie@gmail.com and sports@reedermedia.com.
Wildcard Round:
The evening of Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 6pm has been designated as the start of those matchups, unless otherwise noted. If changes are made, please email socaltrekkie@gmail.com and sports@reedermedia.com.
Division Eight:
Lakeside at South El Monte
Division Nine:
Rubidoux at St. Jeanne’s De Lestonnac
Derryl Trujillo has been an area sportswriter since 2018 and is the 2019 IEBCA Supporter of the Year award winner. He can be reached via email at socaltrekkie@gmail.com.
