The end of an incredible playoff run for the St. Anthony boys’ volleyball team is nearing as the Saints prepare to appear in their first-ever CIF championship on Friday. St. Anthony (14-7) will travel to face Bishop Diego (27-8) for the CIF-SS Division 5 title at 6 pm.
“The nerves are obviously there but I just want them to enjoy the moment,” said Saints’ coach Jeremy Malazarte ahead of the matchup. “ I think it’s gonna come down to how they deal with the moment and how they attack pressure. Most importantly it’s all about them playing and staying together as a team.”
St. Anthony has done just that through each of its four previous playoff matches, including a pair of back-to-back five-setters to reach the championship match. The Saints defeated Western Christian at home after a dominant fifth set before beating Bellflower in a reverse sweep to punch their ticket to the title match.
“They’re just resilient,” credited Malazarte. “They don’t quit and it’s just the encouragement and all the hard work they put in during practice paying off when they need it the most. They just play 100% as a team.”
Bishop Diego enters the matchup coming off a four-set win over El Dorado and also endured a pair of five-setters en route to its championship appearance. The Cardinals finished the regular season undefeated to win the Tri-Valley League and were ranked five spots behind St. Anthony in the CIF-SS final rankings.
“I’ve seen a good amount of mixed film from them and we know they have some strong hitters on both sides of the pins, so we’ve been working a lot on our defense and blocking at practice,” Malazarte said. “I would say if we can neutralize the pins I think we have a good shot of taking it home.”
Malazarte has also shared advice with his team from his championship experience at alma mater Carson High School as both a player and coach. He was part of the school’s first-ever championship appearance and title in 2014 before later coaching the Colts to back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023.
CLICK HERE to purchase tickets for Friday’s CIF championship match between St. Anthony and Bishop Diego.
