CIF Southern Section girls volleyball brackets will be released Saturday morning.
What to expect?
CIF-SS assistant commissioner Mike Middlebrook, in charge of management of the girls volleyball playoffs, said the size of the Division 1 playoffs group had not been decided as of Tuesday morning. This week's girls volleyball schedule had some games that would help determine much about the playoffs, including Mira Costa's sweep of Redondo on Tuesday and Wednesday's Temecula Valley-Murrieta Valley match.
Last year Division 1 was an eight-team playoff group, divided into two pools. Winners of the two pools met in the Division 1 championship match in which Mater Dei defeated Mira Costa.
If Division 1 is an eight-team group this year pool-play will be used.
Teams automatically qualify for the girls volleyball playoffs by finishing high in their leagues' final standings. The top two teams in a four-team league like the Trinity League are guaranteed playoff berths as are the top three teams in five- and six-team leagues and and the four finishers in seven- and eight-team leagues.
Teams that do not finish high enough in their leagues' final standings for automatic qualification can get into the playoffs as at-large teams if their playoff divisions have room for at-large teams.
The Southern Section uses the Massey Ratings System of CIF-SS girls volleyball teams to place teams into playoff divisions. The top eight teams in the latest Massey ratings include Orange County's Mater Dei, Huntington Beach and Los Alamitos.
If Division 1 again is an eight-team group divided into two pools, the pools would look like this if this week's ratings go unchanged between now and Saturday: Pool A would have Sierra Canyon, Huntington Beach, Redondo and Los Alamitos; Pool B would have Mater Dei, Mira Costa, Marymount and Temecula Valley.
Division 2 was a 32-team bracket last season. Division 2 according to the CIF-SS Playoff Bulletin might not be a 32-team group this season. The other eight of the 10 playoff divisions will be 32-team brackets.
The playoffs begin Oct. 24 for the divisions with 32-team brackets. If Division 1 is an eight-team bracket its first round of pool play would be Oct. 23.
CIF-SS girls volleyball finals will be played Nov. 9. Some finals will be at Cerritos College. Others will be at home-team sites.
The CIF Southern California Regional follows, Nov. 12-19. The CIF State Championships are Nov. 22 and 23 at Santiago Canyon College.