Area Roundup: Coast Union, Coastal Christian volleyball teams to play in Southern California regional playoffs

For the second consecutive year, the Coast Union High volleyball team will participate in the state tournament.

The No. 4-sseded Broncos (21-7) will host No. 5 Sierra Pacific High (13-11-2) of Hanford to open up the Southern California regional bracket of the CIF Division 5 Championships in Cambria at 6 p.m. today.

Also participating in the Southern California bracket is No. 6 Coastal Christian, which lost in four sets to Coast Union on Friday in the Southern Section Division 5A title match. The Conquerors (19-3-1) will play at No. 3 Kings Christian High (32-5) in Lemoore in a first-round match at 7 tonight.

In prep football, Friday’s playoff game times for Arroyo Grande High (10-1), San Luis Obispo High (8-3) and Templeton High (6-5) are set for 7 p.m.

Arroyo Grande travels to La Cañada Flintridge near Los Angeles to play 9-2 St. Francis in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section Western Division playoffs, while San Luis Obispo stays home to face 9-2 Chaminade of West Hills. Templeton will also host a playoff game, as the Eagles welcome 6-5 South Torrance in the quarterfinals of the Northwest Division.

Hufstetler to play softball at San Jose State

Atascadero High senior Jessie Hufstetler recently signed her national letter of intent to play for the San Jose State softball team.

Her other college choices included UCLA, Minnesota, Cal State Bakersfield, Cal State Northridge, Cal State San Marcos, Texas Southern and about a dozen East Coast schools and Division II programs.

Last season as a junior, the first baseman batted .512 with five home runs, 31 runs, 14 doubles and 49 RBI. Hufstetler’s efforts helped Atascadero to the Southern Section Division 3 postseason.

Cal Poly's Santiago, Keddy honored by the Big West

After recording career-highs in points and rebounds in the past two games, Cal Poly’s Kristina Santiago was named the Big West Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week — giving the Mustangs the distinct honor of grabbing back-to-back weekly awards.

Teammate Jonae Ervin was given the same distinction after scoring 33 points in a loss to Oregon in the season opener.

Santiago had a career-best 36 points and 15 rebounds (a career-high at the time) in an 82-66 win over San Francisco on Wednesday. She then went on to eclipse her previous rebound mark with 23 boards, to go along with 27 points, in Sunday’s 79-76 loss to Fresno State in the Mustangs’ home opener.

Also, Cal Poly junior middle blocker Jennifer Keddy was selected as the Big West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week after she led in kills in the Mustangs’ final two matches last week. This is her third honor of the season and fourth of her career.

Keddy recorded 18 kills, seven digs and four blocks in a 3-1 win over UC Riverside on Friday and finished with 16 kills and 11 digs in a 3-0 season-finale loss to Cal State Northridge on Saturday.

Cal Poly's Novachkov wins at wrestling event

Cal Poly wrestler Boris Novachkov won his 141-pound bout Monday at the NWCA All-Star Wrestling Classic at Arizona State.

Novachkov, the NCAA runner-up last season, defeated Zack Kemmerer of Penn 4-0. Kemmerer is ranked fourth by InterMet while Novachkov is ranked second.

Novachkov was scheduled to meet Michigan’s Kellen Russell, who beat Novachkov for the NCAA title last year, but Russell is injured and did not compete.