CIF girls volleyball playoffs start Thursday with some teams earning first-round byes

Coach Alan Ho will lead his Woodbridge Warriors into Thursday’s CIF playoff match. (Photo Fernando M. Donado, for OC Sports Zone).

Woodbridge, Foothill, University, Tustin and Mater Dei are among the teams scheduled to open the CIF girls volleyball playoffs on Thursday while Beckman and Corona del Mar will start post-season play on Saturday.

Woodbridge, the No. 2 team out of the Pacific Coast League, will host Dana Hills, the No. 3 team from the South Coast League in the Division 2 playoffs Thursday at 6 p.m.

“I don’t love the draw,” said Woodbridge Coach Alan Ho. “I think Dana Hills ended up being the number three overall seed in the division. They’re a tough match-up so it’ll take a good effort on our part to advance.”

Ho is looking for some solid contributions from his key players to help the Warriors advance.

“Jennifer Leitman and Beverly Braun have been solid for us all year at outside hitter and Minami Creamer has done a good job stepping in for Carly Hill who graduated and moved on to CSULB,” he said. “It’ll take a group effort to make sure we give ourselves a chance on Thursday night.”

Crestview League champion Foothill (20-3) will host Santa Margarita, the No. 2 team from the Trinity League, Thursday at 6 p.m. in the opening round of the Division 1 playoffs.

University, the No. 3 team out of the Pacific Coast League, will play on the road Thursday against Burroughs/Burbank in the Division 2 bracket while Tustin, the No. 3 team out of the Empire League, plays at Paloma Valley Thursday night.

Pacific Coast League champion Beckman gets a bye on Thursday and will be at home on Saturday against the winner of the Los Alamitos vs. Tesoro match.

Corona del Mar, seeded No. 2 in Division 2, gets a bye in the first round and moves on to the second round Saturday at home against the winner of the Los Osos-Palos Verdes match.

Mater Dei, seeded first in Division 1, hosts Great Oak Thursday at 6 p.m.