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The Long Beach Poly girls’ volleyball team showed “the Long Beach” in them while winning a five-setter against Bishop Diego in the CIF-SS Division 3 championship last November, earning the No. 4 spot on our Top 10 Long Beach Sports Moments of the Year.
The championship win was Poly’s third in girls’ volleyball program history and marked the 131st CIF-SS championship in school history. It was also the Jackrabbits’ first volleyball title since 2010.
“It’s just the grit, it’s the Long Beach in them,” said Poly coach Gerald Aquiningoc after the win. “It feels amazing. I can’t even put it into words yet—I haven’t processed it. It was up and down, but it’s just them. They don’t give up. That fifth set, when it was win or go home, they went into the huddle and said, ‘We’re not losing. We’re not going home without a ring.’”
Cedra Saolotoga-Talaga had 15 digs and a team-high 14 kills in the match, and also contributed one of Poly’s 12 total aces. Sydney Mercado finished the game with a match-high five aces. Taimane Poe and Aleeya Salima also chipped in with 10 kills each.
Moore League Players of the Year and middle blocker duo Layla Moore and Kristin Dear held UCLA-committed outside hitter Eliana Urzua to just a .095 hitting percentage, while combining for seven blocks. Dear also hit a match-high .571.
“Just look at this, man—it’s amazing,” said Aquiningoc after the game, while the Jackrabbits celebrated behind the Cerritos College gym with family and friends. “The bond that we have is just unbreakable and too undeniably good to lose. They did their very best today, and as the game went on, we just decided we’re not losing.”
