PREP VOLLEYBALL POLLS : El Toro Ranked No. 1 in Section, State

Despite losing three key starters from last season’s State Division I championship team, El Toro High opens the season top-ranked in both the State and Southern Section Division I girls’ volleyball polls.

The Chargers graduated starters Lesli Steinert, Jaime Smith and Wendy Balut from last season’s 22-4 team. They also have a new coach in Scott Terry, a former Laguna Beach assistant girls’ coach who replaces Mike Jagd.

Laguna Beach, the defending Southern Section 5-A champion, is ranked third in State and second in the section Division I. The Artists return four starters, including Rachel Wacholder, The Times’ Orange County player of the year last season.

Other top-ranked teams are Capistrano Valley Christian in Southern Section Division V and St. Margaret’s in Division VI. Capistrano Valley Christian, the defending State Division V champion, returns hitters Karen Benkovsky and Kathleen Bunce.

The season opens today with 13 nonleague matches and the three-day Valencia tournament.

State preseason coaches’ poll

1. El Toro, 2. Mountain View St. Francis, 3. Laguna Beach, 4. Torrance, 5. Long Beach Poly, 6. Corona del Mar, 7. Capistrano Valley, 8. Bakersfield Highland, 9. Poway, 10. Newport Harbor, 11. Thousand Oaks, 12. Los Altos, 13. Stockton St. Mary’s, 14. Del Mar Torrey Pines, 15. Livermore Granada, 16. Los Angeles Marymount, 17. Fountain Valley, 18. Bakersfield North, 19. Santa Cruz Harbor, 20. La Habra.

Southern Section preseason coaches’ rankings

Division I--1. El Toro, 2. Laguna Beach, 3. Lakewood St. Joseph, 4. Capistrano Valley, 5. Thousand Oaks, 6. Newport Harbor, 7. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame Academy, 8. Santa Barbara, 9. Corona del Mar, 10. Simi Valley Royal.

Division II--1. Long Beach Poly, 2. Fountain Valley, 3. Cypress, 4. Gahr, 5. Marina, 6. Foothill, 7. Bishop Montgomery, 8. North Hollywood Harvard Westlake, 9. La Habra, 10. Los Alamitos.

Division III--1. Torrance, 2. Canyon Country Canyon, 3. Arroyo Grande, 4. Rim of the World, 5. Alta Loma, 6. South Torrance, 7. Diamond Bar, 8. Saugus, 9. Moreno Valley Canyon Springs, 10. Claremont.

Division IV--1. Paso Robles, 2. Nordhoff, 3. Atascadero, 4. Valencia, 5. Moorpark, 6. Temecula Valley, 7. Norwalk Glenn, 8. Rosemead, 9. Brawley, 10. Lake Elsinore Elsinore.

Division V--1. Capistrano Valley Christian, 2. Brentwood, 3. Los Angeles Baptist, 4. Whittier Christian, 5. Pasadena Poly, 6. Bonita, 7. La Canada Flintridge Prep, 8. West Covina South Hills, 9. Cerritos Valley Christian, 10. Sierra Madre Maranatha.

Division VI--1. St. Margaret’s, 2. Mammoth, 3. Cambria Coast Union, 4. Carpinteria Cate, 5. San Luis Obispo Mission College Prep, 6. San Bernardino Christian, 7. Redlands Arrowhead Christian, 8. Templeton, 9. Lancaster Bethel Christian, 10. Los Angeles Lutheran.