San Diego’s Cathedral Catholic leads a power-packed 16-team field for Santa Barbara’s annual Tournament of Champions girls volleyball tournament.
The two-day event opens Friday at 11 a.m. at J.R. Richards Gym. Dos Pueblos also will be used for consolation matches. The tournament championship is set for Saturday at 6:15 p.m. at Santa Barbara.
Dos Pueblos and San Marcos begin tournament play at 11. The Chargers go up against Santa Margarita, while the Royals take on top-seeded Cathedral Catholic. Santa Barbara follows at 12:45 against Saint Francis.
Cathedral Catholic comes into the TOC top-ranked in the state Division 3 ratings and in the San Diego Section. It is eighth in the overall state rankings and 20th in the nation. The Dons won the Nike TOC in Chicago. They are led by 6-foot senior Morgan Cormier, 6-1 senior Kamille Kana and 6-1 junior Kristen Witous.
Corona del Mar is the second seed. The Sea Kings have one of the tallest teams in the tournament with 6-3 junior Grace Kennedy, 6-2 freshman Hayley Hodson, 6-2 senior Britton Taylor and 6-foot junior setter Kelsey Humphreys.
In other first-round matchups, Torrey Pines plays Long Beach Wilson at 12:45 p.m., La Costa Canyon faces Harvard Westlake and Archbishop Mitty meets Marymount at 2:30; Mira Costa takes on Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar meets Salinas at 4:15 p.m.
Second-round winner’s bracket matches are at 6 p.m. and 7:45. The semifinals are Saturday morning at 10:45 a.m.
