Northern California girls volleyball team ousted from playoffs due to clerical error

Perennial power Bishop O'Dowd-Oakland out of North Coast Section playoffs because it played one game over the maximum

One of the top girls volleyball teams in the CIF-North Coast Section was left off any playoff bracket because it played one too many matches. 

As first reported by the San Jose Mercury News Thursday, the Dragons (30-7), the undefeated champs of the West Alameda County Conference (12-0), played one more than the allotted 24 matches. 

Because many preseason tournament matches are two-out-of-three, — and not 3-of-5 — they don't count toward the 24-match requirement. According to NCS commissioner Pat Cruikshank, O'Dowd's total regular-season count was 25 matches. 

Bishop O'Dowd administrators took complete responsibility for the error and were more than apologetic. There will be no appeal. 

“I take full responsibility for this mistake," Bishop O'Dowd athletic director Carlos Reed said in a statement released Monday (read entirety below). "It was a scheduling oversight with big consequences for our players, their families, and the school. "Our team has put in years of hard work to reach this stage, especially our seniors. This is a devastating outcome and not at all what we hoped for. ... I apologize for this error, 100 percent.”

O'Dowd is a perennial East Bay power, having won at least 30 matches in 2019 (30-8), 2018 (34-7), 2012 (30-8), 2009 (37-9), 2008 (34-4) and 2005 (31-2). 

The Dragons have won 12 NCS titles, including three straight twice (2007-09) and (2017-19). They played for one state championship, losing the Division I crown to Temecula Valley in 2018.