As a reward for topping the state’s 26th-ranked team on Tuesday, Whittier Christian gets to travel to play the 11th-ranked team when the CIF State girls volleyball playoffs continue Saturday.
The Heralds beat La Costa Canyon in four sets Tuesday in the first round of the Division II regionals, 25-22, 21-25, 25-16, 25-15. As the No. 4 seed, Whittier Christian will next face unbeaten and top-seeded Corona Santiago on the road Saturday. The Sharks are 38-0 this season and have only dropped one set this season, to Oaks Christian in last week’s CIF-SS Division 2AA final.
The Heralds, ranked 30th in the same poll before Tuesday’s match, faced Santiago once this season, and lost in two sets at the Ayala Tournament. But Whittier Christian (33-6), the two-time defending Division 2A champion, seems ready for the challenge.
“They have a really great team,” said senior libero Nicole Santos, who finished with 10 digs. “We’re excited to go up against them.”
Tuesday’s victory was the Heralds’ first in the state tournament since 2009.