Defending CIF-Central Section champion Buchanan High is the top seed for this weekend’s Santa Barbara Girls Volleyball Tournament of Champions at J.R. Richards Gym.
Twelve teams will compete in the annual two-day, bracketed tournament that features best-of-five matches.
The teams entered are Buchanan, Clovis and Arroyo Grande of the Central Section, Santa Barbara, San Marcos, Ventura, Newport Harbor, Yorba Linda, Hart and Rosary Academy of the Southern Section, La Jolla of the San Diego Section and Arizona 6A Division program Chandler-Basha.
Santa Barbara opens play at 11 a.m. Friday against La Jolla. Channel League-leading Ventura takes on Yorba Linda at the same time.
At 12:45 p.m., Arroyo Grande faces Hart, and second-seeded Newport Harbor takes on Clovis.
Buchanan opens against Basha, and San Marcos opposes Fullerton’s Rosary Academy of the Trinity League at 2:30 p.m.
Second-round matches are scheduled at 4:15 and 6 p.m. on Friday.
The championship semifinals are at 10:45 a.m. and the title match is slated for 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Buchanan comes to Santa Barbara with a 21-7 record. The Bears won the Central Section Division 2 title last year in a five-set match with Central Valley Christian. Senior outside hitter Grace Goudy leads the attack.
Newport Harbor’s record is 11-10, but the Sailors have played a challenging schedule. The program is a perennial volleyball power in the Southern Section. The Sailors reached the CIF Southern Regional Open Division semifinals last year.
On some of the other tournament entries, Yorba Linda is receiving votes in the CIF-SS Division 4 rankings while Ventura is ranked second in Division 5. Rosary Academy plays in the tough Trinity League in Orange County, Arroyo Grande is traditionally a strong program and Basha competes in the highest division in Arizona.