The Arcata Tigers will open the NCS playoffs at home on Saturday.

By Ray Hamill — Five of the 10 H-DNL varsity volleyball teams have been included in the North Coast Section playoff brackets, which were announced on Sunday, but there is one notable exclusion.

Conference champions St. Bernard’s and Arcata will both open their postseason campaigns at home this week, as will the Eureka Loggers.

The Hoopa Warriors and the Ferndale Wildcats also made the playoff field and will open on the road.

The playoffs get under way on Tuesday night.

The Del Norte Warriors, however, were not included in the section playoffs despite another good year and a regular season that saw them compete for the Big 5 championship up until the final night of action.

Some miscommunication over a new playoff format this year resulted in the Warriors opting not to play in a very competitive Division-3 bracket.

The Warriors, however, would likely have been included in the Division-4 field had they applied for inclusion.

The Big 5 champion Arcata Tigers, meanwhile, received the highest seed of any local team.

The Tigers, who won their final six conference matches on the way to the Big 5 title, are seeded No. 2 in Division 4 and will have a midweek opening-round bye.

The Arcata girls will host either No. 7 Encinal or No. 10 College Prep at Arcata High on Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Two H-DNL teams will play their postseason openers on Tuesday night and two more will play on Wednesday.

The Eureka girls are seeded No. 6 in Division 5 and will open at home against No. 11 Pinole Valley on Tuesday hight at 7.

The Hoopa Warriors also are included in Division 5.

The Hoopa girls, who finished runners-up to St. Bernard’s in this year’s Little 5, received the No. 13 seed and will open on the road at No. 4 Redwood Christian, also on Tuesday night at 7.

The Little 5 champion St. Bernard’s Crusaders received the No. 6 seed in Division 6 and will open at home against No. 11 Anderson Valley on Wednesday night at 7.

And rounding out the local contingent of teams to qualify for the postseason, the Ferndale Wildcats are seeded No. 10 in Division 6 and will open on the road at No. 7 Point Arena, also on Wednesday at 7.