California High School Girls Volleyball Top 20 Rankings (Oct. 27, 2026): Playoff Upsets Shake Up Southern Section

The CIF Southern Section girls volleyball playoffs are underway, and Division 2 is already living up to its reputation as the wild, wild West.

Redondo Union swept Crean Lutheran, while Centennial-Corona knocked off Bishop Montgomery in four sets. Orange Lutheran narrowly avoided another upset, rallying to defeat Roosevelt-Eastvale in five sets.

There have been no upsets in the elite Division 1, where Mater Dei-Santa Ana and Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth are moving toward a potential championship showdown Saturday, Nov. 7, at Cerritos College.

But the Southern Section isn't the only place where major postseason matchups are taking shape.

In the San Joaquin Section, Rocklin and Folsom are both competing in Division 1 this year and could be headed for a rubber match.

In the Central Section, geography adds another layer to the competition. Liberty-Bakersfield is the top seed in Division 1, followed by Buchanan-Clovis and San Luis Obispo.

The San Diego Section could produce another showdown between Torrey Pines and Cathedral Catholic, with the championship scheduled for CSU San Marcos.

In the North Coast Section, the leading programs are spread across different divisions. Monte Vista-Danville is the top seed in the Open Division, Foothill-Pleasanton leads Division 1 and Branson-Ross is No. 1 in Division 2.

The possibility of those teams meeting other Northern California powers in the subsequent NorCal Regionals adds intrigue to the postseason.

The CIF State Finals will again take place at Santiago Canyon College in Orange, with two matches scheduled for Friday, Nov. 20, and four Saturday, Nov. 21.

On to the rankings.

High School On SI California Top 20 Girls Volleyball Rankings

Records through Oct. 25, 2026. Previous ranking in parentheses.

1. Mater Dei (Southern Section, 36-1, previously No. 1)

The Monarchs kicked off CIF Southern Section Division 1 pool play with a decisive sweep of Harvard-Westlake-Studio City, 25-13, 25-14, 25-22.

Westley Matavao pounded 12 kills and had 15 serve receives. Kelea Lee had 21 assists, while Riley Stringer added 17.

Libero Sienna Cicero recorded 14 serve receives.

2. Sierra Canyon (Southern Section, 30-1, previously No. 2)

Sierra Canyon launched its playoff run with a sweep of league rival Marymount-Los Angeles, 25-23, 25-9, 25-22.

A rainstorm caused a leaky roof on the originally scheduled date, forcing the match to be played two days later.

Coach Stefanie Wigfall noted the unusual challenge of preparing for the match, shutting everything down an hour before game time and then resetting.

She also reflected on the challenge of facing the league rival Sailors for a third time.

The Trailblazers persevered behind eight kills apiece from Hanna McGinest and Eva Jeffries.

Marymount tried to slow down McGinest, but Jeffries, McKenna McIntosh and Kendall Omoruyi provided too many offensive weapons. McIntosh and Omoruyi finished with six kills each.

3. Mira Costa-Manhattan Beach (Southern Section, 21-6, previously No. 3)

The Mustangs were sharp in a terrific matchup between the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds, defeating Los Alamitos 25-18, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19.

Lily Vandeweghe led the way with 17 kills and 12 digs. Allyn Hilt added 10 kills, while Brynn Barry recorded 14 digs.

4. Los Alamitos (Southern Section, 29-7, previously No. 4)

The Griffins were within 19-17 in the first set at Mira Costa before the Mustangs closed with a 6-1 run.

Los Alamitos trailed 17-10 in the second set before nearly evening the match, closing within 24-23. But Mira Costa secured the final point.

Down two sets to none, Los Alamitos fought back to claim the third before the Mustangs regrouped to win the fourth.

5. Newport Harbor (Southern Section, 29-6, previously No. 5)

The Sailors opened Division 2 playoff competition by sweeping Los Osos-Rancho Cucamonga, 25-21, 25-10, 25-23.

Ella Olson led Newport Harbor with seven kills.

6. Torrey Pines (San Diego Section, 25-5, previously No. 6)

Torrey Pines is led by Parker Herrin, who has 317 kills, and Emery Gonzales, who has 893 assists.

The Falcons earned the top seed in the CIF San Diego Section Open Division playoffs and could be headed for a Nov. 6 championship showdown with second-seeded Cathedral Catholic.

7. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego Section, 28-6, previously No. 7)

Baylee Wilson and the Dons will have to get past third-seeded Coronado to earn another matchup with Torrey Pines.

Cathedral Catholic has swept the Islanders twice, although their Oct. 22 meeting was competitive, with the Dons prevailing 25-18, 25-23, 25-17.

8. Santa Margarita-Rancho Santa Margarita (Southern Section, 18-10, previously No. 8)

Another phenomenal performance by the Eagles in their Division 1 pool-play victory at Oaks Christian-Westlake Village, 25-21, 29-27, 24-26, 25-22.

Katherine Jackson paced the win with 19 kills, Ella Asher contributed 18 and Ari Robinson delivered 53 assists.

The victory was even more impressive considering Santa Margarita star Ireland Real was sidelined with an injury.

9. Marymount (Southern Section, 22-11, previously No. 9)

One cannot ask for much more than another strong effort in a loss to powerful Sierra Canyon.

The Sailors took the Trailblazers to five sets in one of their regular-season meetings, and the playoff loss included competitive first and third sets in which Marymount scored 23 and 22 points, respectively.

10. Harvard-Westlake (Southern Section, 19-12, previously No. 10)

Kudos to Harvard-Westlake for its Dig Pink fundraiser during the regular-season finale against Crescenta Valley, a 25-12, 25-16, 25-10 sweep.

The Wolverines lost their playoff opener against Mater Dei, but nearly everyone has fallen to the powerful Monarchs this season.

11. Orange Lutheran (Southern Section, 26-7, previously No. 11)

UC Irvine-bound Korynn Mayo would not let the Lancers lose their playoff opener against Roosevelt.

Orange Lutheran rallied for a 23-25, 21-25, 25-16, 25-15, 15-11 victory as Mayo ripped 25 kills and added three aces and 18 digs.

Grace Geronsin contributed 47 assists.

12. Oaks Christian (Southern Section, 25-3, previously No. 12)

A tough home loss for the Lions against Santa Margarita.

Elyse Wong led Oaks Christian with 22 kills and 15 digs.

13. Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (Central Coast Section, 24-5, previously No. 13)

Stanford-bound Chayse Courtney has belted 282 kills, while freshman Kaila Lock leads the team with 580 assists.

The recent schedule has not severely tested the Monarchs, and they may roll to the CIF Central Coast Section crown.

The NorCal playoffs, however, should provide a much bigger test.

14. Monte Vista-Danville (North Coast Section, 26-5, previously No. 15)

Kennedy Whyte was dominant as the Mustangs held off an upset bid by Carondelet-Concord.

Monte Vista prevailed 25-22, 25-16, 16-25, 21-25, 15-12.

Whyte blasted 34 kills with a .403 hitting percentage.

Wow.

15. Rocklin (San Joaquin Section, 36-6, previously No. 16)

The Thunder sent a message to St. Francis-Sacramento with a 25-18, 23-25, 25-20, 25-20 victory.

The win gave Rocklin a share of the Sierra Foothill League title with Folsom and dropped the Troubadours one game back.

Kaleigh Morasci was unstoppable again, delivering 24 kills and seven aces as part of Rocklin's superb 15-ace performance.

Iliya Little added 15 kills, while Elli Williams recorded 28 assists.

16. Folsom (San Joaquin Section, 30-7, previously No. 17)

The Bulldogs tied Rocklin for the Sierra Foothill League title.

Jazmin Ojo leads the way with 343 kills, while Addison Smith has added 310.

Lauren Kim has recorded 351 assists, with Azlynn Basquez contributing 343.

17. Buchanan (Central Section, 27-11, previously No. 19)

The Bears captured the Tri-River League title with a perfect 10-0 record, finishing two games ahead of Clovis West-Fresno.

They sealed the championship with a 17-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-14 victory over the Golden Eagles on Oct. 13.

18. Long Beach Poly (Southern Section, 26-7, previously unranked)

The Jackrabbits rolled to the Moore League title.

Their challenging nonleague schedule featured several impressive victories, including one over Redondo Union.

19. Redwood-Larkspur (North Coast Section, 17-7, previously unranked)

The Giants have flown under the radar, but their 10-0 record and championship in the competitive Marin County Athletic League deserve attention.

A key victory came Sept. 24 at rival Branson, where Redwood prevailed 25-22, 22-25, 25-23, 17-25, 15-13.

20. Redondo Union (Southern Section, 20-11, previously unranked)

The Sea Hawks may be down a notch this year, but they remain talented and dangerous.

Net play is a specialty, and 6-foot-4 Oregon State commit Abbie Hairwell is a key piece of the front line.

Redondo Union's sweep of Crean Lutheran in the Southern Section Division 2 playoffs was another reminder of the Sea Hawks' potential.

On the Bubble

St. Francis-Mountain View (CCS), Murrieta Valley-Murrieta (SS), Coronado (SDS), St. Mary's-Stockton (SJS), San Ramon Valley-San Ramon (NCS), Foothill-Pleasanton (NCS), West Ranch-Stevenson Ranch (SS), Bishop Montgomery (SS).

Got comments, questions or opinions? Email gordon.kass@gmail.com.

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