The St. Anthony Boys’ Volleyball team had a historic year in 2026. The Saints’ winning record of 14-8 doesn’t capture the team’s success in its entirety, but there is one big game that stands out as a testament to St. Anthony’s perseverance and tenacity.
En route to their first-ever CIF championship, the Saints claimed back-to-back five-set wins in the Division 5 bracket. In the quarterfinals, St. Anthony defeated Western Christian at home after a dominant fifth set, but their best win came in the semifinals when the Saints beat Bellflower in a reverse sweep to punch their ticket to the title match.
This historic win that sent St. Anthony through to the CIF-SS Division 5 Championship earned the Saints the All-City Comeback of the Year award.
The semifinal vs. Bellflower was an epic five-set thriller, and St. Anthony’s determination and effort shined in the last three sets when they pulled off the win. After dropping the first two sets in hard-fought scores of 18-25 and 27-29 respectively, the Saints were able to refocus in the final three sets to take the game 25-18, 25-14, 15-11.
St. Anthony was led by the upperclassmen throughout this big match, with juniors and seniors shining on the stat sheet. Junior Griffin Bass had 16 kills, five blocks and four aces in the match; followed by senior Jack Furlow’s 13 kills; senior Austin Luckey’s 12 kills; senior Noah Furlow’s 9 kills; and junior Eli Bell’s eight kills and two blocks.
After the postseason, Bass and Jack Furlow were two Saints named to the All-CIF Southern Section team.
“They’re just resilient,” said Saints’ coach Jeremy Malazarte of his team. “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.”
The reverse sweep was nothing short of impressive, especially as it catapulted St. Anthony to make history with their first championship appearance. By never giving up and keep the persistent fight, the Saints showcased a team spirit and effort that thrived in this award-winning match.
