by Dave Curtis of the Marin IJ | 11/08/2009

The Marin Catholic High girls tennis team will begin defense of its North Coast Section Division II title with a No. 1 seed next to its name.

The Wildcats, who won the championship last season as the No. 4 seed, will begin their NCS run this year against No. 8 Bishop O'Dowd (14-4) on Tuesday at Dominican University. A victory in that match sets up a potential semifinals showdown with No. 5 Marin Academy (12-6), which opens Tuesday at No. 4 Piedmont (23-3). Lurking further down the road for Marin Catholic is No. 2 Tam (15-8). The Red-tailed Hawks (15-8) were also the No. 2 seed a year ago, falling to Marin Catholic in the championship match.

"I'm thrilled," Marin Catholic coach Keith Hayes said of his team's No. 1 seed. "That's the nice thing about Division II is that smaller schools can get their day in the sun. I was very proud of what our team did this year considering the personnel we have. We don't have any superstars, just some girls who can play some great tennis."

Marin Catholic and Tam have met four times this season, with MC winning the first three times. The Hawks finally broke through in the MCAL tournament, winning 6-3, and no doubt coach Bill Washauer would love another shot at Marin Catholic. That could happen on Nov. 14 in the NCS final.

In Division I, MCAL champion Redwood (24-2) received the No. 4 seed. The Giants, who as a No. 9 seed a year ago reached the quarterfinals, are in line for a semifinals meeting this year with No. 1 Foothill on Nov. 14 at Golden Gate Park. Their route to the semifinals begins Tuesday against No. 13 Alameda, with No. 5 Monte Vista a likely second-round opponent. Both of those matches would be at Redwood.

"It matters for the girls," Redwood coach Marlies Zeisler said of playing at home. "We don't have big crowds but actually for all of our big matches this season there were a lot of people there and I think it does make a big difference. Our goal is to get to Golden Gate on Saturday. From there anything can happen. I have to say my girls are mentally so tough. If they can get there, we definitely have a chance."

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Marin will be well represented in the NCS playoffs, with seven teams earning postseason berths, including two squads that were seeded No. 1 and two more that were the No. 2 seeds.

Marin Catholic (27-10) in Division IV and Branson (28-5) in Division V each earned the top seed after tying for second place in the MCAL during the regular season and then reaching the MCAL tournament semifinals. Redwood (24-6) in Division II and Marin Academy (25-8) in Division V were No. 2 seeds while MCAL tournament champion Drake (29-4) is the No. 5 seed in Division III - where Terra Linda (14-11) is seeded No. 9 - and Tomales (11-8) returns to the Division VI field as the No. 10 seed.

Marin Catholic and Branson, though the No. 1 seeds, could actually win an NCS championship without playing a home match in the tournament because on a NCS rule that allows for league champions to have the home court against non-league champions regardless of seeds.

For the Wildcats, it's not unfathomable that three league winners - No. 9 Willits (NCL I North), No. 5 Berean Christian (Diablo Valley Athletic League), and No. 2 Salesian (Bay Shore Athletic League) - could line their path to the title. In Branson's case, a championship run could have the Bulls traveling to face No. 9 Bay School (BCL Central), No. 4 Valley Christian-Dublin (BCL East) and No. 2 Marin Academy (BCL West).

"The NCS has rules," Marin Catholic coach Konrad Ott said of the home-court proviso. "I think that there is probably a better way to do it, but I'm not sure exactly what it is. It's not going to be easy for us, but if any team could do it, this is the team."

The NCS home-court formula could work to the benefit of Drake, which as the MCAL champion could host a quarterfinals match with No. 4 Campolindo, which did not win the Diablo Foothill Athletic League title.

"Based on who we played, I think it's very fair," Drake coach Neil Davidson said of his team's seed. "I was hoping for a top-four seed, but the way the bracket is going to shake out, No. 4 or 5 doesn't matter. Hopefully, we can make a run."

By Dave Curtis of the Marin IJ | 11/03/2009

As the MCAL tournament's defending champion, the Marin Catholic High girls volleyball team may have a target on its back. But it will take some ... more