Boys’ volleyball: Top teams in Santa Barbara this weekend

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A meeting of the Southland volleyball A-listers will be taking place at the Santa Barbara/Karch Kiraly Tournament of Champions starting on Friday.

Valencia, the top-ranked team in the nation according to StudentSportsVolleyball.com, will be on the hardwood as will Division I title contenders Newport Harbor and Mira Costa (last year’s tourney winner). And let’s not forget about host Santa Barbara, which is eager to pick up what would be its third tournament championship of the spring in front of the home fans.

‘This is probably the most stacked tournament we’ve ever hosted,’ Santa Barbara Coach Chad Arneson said. ‘All the best teams are going to be playing here... It’ll be a good test to see where we’re at because there won’t be an easy match.’

That may be true, but the Dons have already established themselves as one of the best squads around. They’ve posted a 17-1 record heading into tonight’s nonleague match against Clovis Buchanan and they’re ranked No. 2 in the nation. UC Irvine-bound Will Montgomery and Craig McGowan are among the state’s most lethal spike kings and towering middle blockers Danny Miller (who’s also going to UC Irvine) and Chris Pratt are a formidable force at the net -- just ask Mira Costa.

And that’s why I’m rooting for a Santa Barbara-Valencia tournament final on Saturday. How awesome would it be to see the top two teams in the nation square off for a third time this season after splitting their first two contests? Plus, I’m sure the Dons are still a little bitter about getting swept by the Vikings on March 14.

Be sure to check out the 16-team tournament bracket.

-- Austin Knoblauch