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The Long Beach Poly’ boys’ volleyball season came to a heartbreaking end Friday night in the Ron Palmer Pavilion.
The Jackrabbits hosted the San Marino Titans in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs. The visitors took the game to five sets, which ultimately saw them come away with the win as Long Beach Poly dropped the match 25-13, 24-26, 25-17, 23-25, 11-15.
“A lot of things that we did against them didn’t really phase them. So yeah, that was a well prepared team over there,” Jackrabbit head coach Sidney Davidson said.
The Titans were coming in as the 27-4 Rio Hondo League champions fresh off a 3-2 first-round win against Canyon High School. As the Moore League champions, Long Beach Poly was ready to fight to advance in their own house.
The Jackrabbits started the match on the right foot, as senior Matt Tsao gave the home team the first point on an ace. The teams went back and forth on service errors, but Long Beach Poly looked perfectly in sync as two separate 7-0 runs allowed for them to take the first set 25-13 in dominating fashion.
This strength carried over into the start of set two as the Jackrabbits flexed their senior power. Tsao got two more kills alongside a kill from Jackson Trunnelle to put their team ahead early.
“This group was senior-led,” Davidson said. “These guys definitely established our culture, which was huge.”
San Marino’s Luca Moggio got his team riled up to fight in the second set. The senior captain helped his team on both sides of the ball, putting up some good blocks against Poly’s big hitters and bringing down the hammer himself.
The visitors were toe to toe with the Jackrabbits in the second set. Ron Palmer Pavilion was jumping during each rally and point. The Titans adjusted after the first set and began using ceiling deflections and holes on the court to their advantage to take the set 26-24.
Statistically, Poly dominated in the second set. The home team had 15 kills that set, more than any other set throughout the match.
The Jackrabbits bounced back in the third set with Tsao and Trunnelle tacking on four and five more kills, respectively. Nicky Frank and David Dickson had a pair of kills each to take set three for the home team 25-17.
San Marino continued their fight in the fourth set. Poly trailed for the entire set as the Titans stole it in a 25-23 win. .
The game went to a fifth set with the notion that whoever won was sending their team through to the CIF quarterfinals.
San Marino looked like they were on fire in the final set, bringing energy to the pavilion with each kill and block. The visitors went on a 6-0 run to take the set and ultimately the match 15-11.
“[I] don’t want to say we took our foot off the pedal in some moments, we kind of did, [but] that’s still a good team over there,” Davidson said.
Despite the loss, the Jackrabbits had some strong performances with standouts from their senior class. Setter Ryder Tuaolo scattered out 52 assists to three senior hitters who racked up double-digit kills. Tsao and Trunnelle led the team with 15 kills a piece, while KJ Hill had 11.
“This is a special team for me, probably one of the best ones I’ve ever coached,” Davidson said of his squad this year. “The loss is going to hurt us, but for the most part, I’m proud of how these guys are in the community and how they represent the Beach.”
Long Beach Poly finished their season as undefeated champions in the Moore League with a 32-9 overall record.
“It was a hell of a season,” Davidson said. “These guys did what they were told…they definitely battled and it showed after.”
