By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com
This is the final dress rehearsal.
The Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions is the one last stop before the national girls volleyball scene and the California postseason hits center stage.
According to the MaxPreps.com computer rankings, six of the nation's top 20 team are entered in the 16-team California-only tourney, including No. 1 Mira Costa-Manhattan Beach (21-0) and No. 2 Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (24-2).
The others are No. 9 Newport Harbor (18-3), No. 15 Santa Barbara (15-4), No. 16 Torrey Pines (16-4) and No. 19 St. Francis-Mountain View (29-6).
Other teams in the tourney among the nation's top 100 or considered for such by either MaxPreps or prepvolleyball.com include Cathedral-San Diego, Bishop Montgomery, Long Beach Wilson and Dos Pueblos-Goleta.
This is one of the longest-standing and most prestigious girls volleyball tournaments in the Western United States. The tourney has been flourishing since the mid-1980s.
"It's the last week in October and everyone is ready to springboard to the postseason," Santa Barbara coach John Gannon. "Everybody wants to be hitting full stride."
Even on a best day, it's doubtful anyone can hang with three-time defending state champion Mira Costa, which is coming off back-to-back tournament titles in Las Vegas (Durango Fall Classic) and Torrey Pines (California Challenge) where it didn't lose a game.
Senior setter Kendall Bateman (committed to USC) and outside hitter Falyn Fonoimoana, considered the top sophomore in the country, were Most Valuable Players of the respective tournaments.
Even though Mira Costa also features three other top 100 seniors in the country (according to prepvolleyball.com) - liberos Lauren Law (Cal Poly) and Stevi Robinson (Pepperdine - she plays outside for the Mustangs) and Lane Carico (Miami) - and another college-bound senior in returning starter, Pauline Acres (New Hampshire) - Gannon doesn't think Mira Costa is untouchable.
"Newport Harbor has already played them very tough and certainly Mitty is capable also," Gannon said. "They're obviously a remarkable team but there's a lot of very talented players and team at this tournament."
The host school certainly fits under that category as the Dons have won 11 straight including taking the championship at the Mitty Invitational.
Santa Barbara, which lost just one starter off last year's team that lost in the Southern Section finals to Marymount, just swept strong league rival Dos Pueblos, ranked 61st nationally, and didn't give up more than 15 points in any game.
The third-seeded Dons are led by 6-foot opposite hitter Eva Gabrielsen and 6-1 outside hitter Kristen Dealy. Both are projected to play Division I-A next season.
The girl who runs the show and has keyed the team is 5-5 junior Natalie Guerra, the one non-returning starter who had to fill the large shoes of Courtney Kidd-Kadlubek.
"She's really stepped up and done a great job," Gannon said. "Last year she played sparingly but she came in with the right attitude and put the ball in the right place and that just gave our team all sorts of confidence."
The one team that has confidence playing Mira Costa should be Newport Harbor, which won a game over the Mustangs in a two-out-of-three match on Oct. 6.
The Sailors returned four starters from last year's team including three four-year starters, setter Alesha Young (5-7), opposite hitter Megan Munce (5-8) and outside hitter Jamie Heenan (5-9). Young has already committed to Loyola-Marymount.
Mitty, somewhat a surprise at fourth seed, was swept by Mira Costa not only the finals of the Torrey Pines championship two weeks ago, but also in last year's CIF State Division II title match.
Last year was much closer than two weeks ago when Mira Costa breezed 25-20, 25-14, 25-18.
Mitty's top player Amanda Gil, a 6-6 UCLA-bound middle blocker ranked the 9th best senior in the country, as limited to just six kills. She and the team's two setters were rarely in synch.
To even make the finals, the Monarchs would need to get by Bakersfield, led by the country's No. 17 senior, 6-1 middle blocker Cassandra Anderson, and then likely Torrey Pines just to face Mira Costa in the semifinals.
It took five games for Mitty to beat Torrey Pines in the semifinals two weeks ago.
"We definitely got a tough draw," Mitty coach Bret Almazan-Cezar said. "But if we want to win in December we need all the challenges we can get now. This is good for us."
To get to Mira Costa and play the Mustangs close Mitty will have to "just play a lot cleaner and fight through (Mira Costa's) serve and pass machine. They're pretty incredible."
Gannon said Wednesday that both San Diego-area teams, Torrey Pines and Cathedral have committed to make the tournament.
On Tuesday, San Diego Section officials shut down all athletic events and practices through Saturday because of the Southern California wildfires that have destroyed more than 1,500 homes.
SANTA BARBARA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Oct. 26-27
Friday first-round matches (all best of 5)
Mira Costa vs. San Marcos
Long Beach Wilson vs. St. Francis
Torrey Pines vs. Bishop Montgomery
Archbishop Mitty vs. Bakersfield
Santa Barbara vs. Stockdale
Buchanan vs. Corona del Mar
Dos Pueblos vs. Cathedral
Centennial vs. Newport Harbor
Friday match times: 11 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 2:30, 4:15, 6, 7:45
Saturday match times: 9 a.m., 10:45, 12:30 p.m., 2:15, 4, 5:45, 6:15 (championship)
Consolation matches at Dos Pueblos-Goleta, all others at Santa Barbara.
Look for complete results both days at MaxPreps.com.
