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The drama is building in the race for the Sunset League girls volleyball title.

Newport Harbor shook up things last week with its four-set victory over Los Alamitos. Los Alamitos, Huntington Beach and Newport Harbor enter this week tied for first at 4-1.

In this week’s key match, the Oilers and Sailors will meet today at Newport Harbor. The teams met Oct. 3, with the Oilers winning in five sets.

Fountain Valley is in fourth place with a 2-3 record. The Barons defeated Edison in five sets last week. It was their first victory over the Chargers in 10 years.

Two of Edison’s four league losses have come in five-set matches.

“The league is starting to show that it is a better league than people are giving it credit for,” Huntington Beach coach Craig Pazanti said.

The Trinity League race is also worth watching this week. Mater Dei, Orange Lutheran and Santa Margarita are tied for first place. Mater Dei faces Santa Margarita tonight and Orange Lutheran on Thursday.

– DAMIAN CALHOUN

CROSS COUNTRY

The Orange County Championships will be remembered as a meet of firsts.

Both individual sweepstakes race winners were the first runners for their schools to win those titles, and both team champions were also first-time winners.

The last time that happened at the Orange County Championships was 1986.

The Brea Olinda boys team title marked the first time since 2000 a program other than Dana Hills, Trabuco Hills or El Toro claimed victory at the county championships.

“When you put in the hard work you get great results, and it feels great to be the first team at our school to be O.C. champions,” Brea Olinda senior Brennon Koryta said.

On the girls side, Capistrano Valley’s team title marked the third time in the past five years a team has won its first team title.

“For the program, there has been a lot of work that has gone into this,” Cougars coach Ken Sayles said. “Winning the title says a lot about where your program is and I’m excited for the girls.”

– JASON EICHELBERGER

GIRLS TENNIS

With a little more than a week left in the regular season, a couple of matches this week will decide league championships.

University can clinch the Pacific Coast League today if it defeats Corona del Mar. The Trojans, the top-ranked team in Orange County, handed the No. 2 Sea Kings their only league loss Oct. 3.

Santa Margarita will have an opportunity to win the Trinity League title against JSerra on Thursday.

The Lions have lost just one match in league play, but it was to Santa Margarita.

Sage Hill broke a first-place tie in the Academy League by defeating St. Margaret’s on Friday. The Lightning, at 5-1 in league, can win it outright by defeating Oxford Academy and Whitney this week.

The Empire League became more complicated Thursday when Valencia defeated Yorba Linda on games, 70-68.

In the teams’ first meeting, Yorba Linda won on games, 77-75. Those matches are the only league loss for each team. Valencia has three league matches left and Yorba Linda four, all against opponents whom they have already beaten.

With one league match to play, Dana Hills has won the South Coast League. Canyon has clinched the Century League and is two wins from an undefeated regular season.

– MARK COOPER

GIRLS GOLF

Next week, the CIF-SS will debut its new streamlined format for the postseason.

In an effort to decrease the amount of class time missed, officials got rid of the Southern Section Individual championship, merging it with the WSCGA team qualifying event, which will be played Nov. 7 at Talega Golf Club in San Clemente.

The field for Talega will be set through the individual regionals on Oct. 28 and the team regionals on Oct. 31.

The top 36 individuals from each of the two regionals will advance along with the top three teams from each of the four team regionals.

That could create a large field at Talega, but the hope is some of the girls who make it as individuals will also be on the teams that have qualified, reducing the number of players teeing off.

The Talega tournament will send the top 28 individuals and top four teams to the WSCGA SoCal Championship state qualifying tournament.

– DAMIAN DOTTORE