Story by 562 high school intern David Kagurabadza
The Long Beach Unified School District hosted its All-City Middle School girls’ volleyball championships last weekend at Lakewood High, where the favorites held serve and brought home the titles in all three divisions.
Division 1
Stanford and Rogers had been the two top teams all year in the city, and met for the championship after knocking off Hughes and Cubberley in the semifinals earlier in the week. Stanford, a regular D1 champ in girls’ volleyball, defeated Rogers 20-25, 25-15, 25-19, 25-16 to claim the championship. The Hawks were led by Meilani Davidson, Jaya Eurpongpan, and Charlotte Keefe in the win.
Division 2
Franklin was the top seed into the playoffs and faced Marshall in the championship thanks to the Rams knocking off two-seed Newcomb in the semifinals; Franklin took down Washington in the semis in a five-set thriller. Franklin went on to complete their excellent season with the D2 championship thanks to a 25-18, 22-25, 25-19, 29-27 victory.
The Wildcats were led by Renee Naea both from the end line in service and outside as a hitter.
Division 3
Avalon Middle had an undefeated 4-0 regular season, and after defeating Lindbergh at home in the semis, the Lancers got to make a trip to the mainland to face Hamilton in the Division 3 championship match.
The Lancers were able to shake off the travel and earn the championship thanks to a 25-17, 25-12, 13-25, 25-18 victory.
Avalon was led this year by Genesis Zavala, Avalina Machado-Martin and Mel Olivette.
