Sports briefs: Tam, San Rafael open NCS playoffs with wins

Natalia Clifford had a team-high 11 kills as the Tam High girls volleyball team made short work of California, winning 25-12, 25-16, 25-13 in the first round of the North Coast Section Division I playoffs on Tuesday night.

No. 3 Tam (23-10) hosts a quarterfinal at 7 p.m. Saturday against No. 6 Mission San Jose (25-5). Jade Curtin-Savala added 10 digs and four aces and setter Emmeline Sandgren had 23 assists, four blocks, and three kills. Natalie Stanford and Reese Murphy had five kills apiece.

San Rafael was also in action on Tuesday night, sweeping past No. 9 Salesian 25-16, 25-20, 25-23 at Terra Linda High. The No. 8 Bulldogs (17-15) face top-seeded Berean Christian (17-10) in a D-III quarterfinal at 7 p.m. on Saturday.