The562’s coverage of Millikan Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Brian Ramsey and TLD Law.
Based on the CIF-SS girls’ volleyball rankings released on Tuesday, the matchup between Long Beach Poly and Millikan could very well be a postseason preview in Division 2.
If that’s the case, we’re gonna need a bigger gym.
The Jackrabbits and Rams went toe-to-toe in a hotly contested match, with fireworks emanating from the court, the sidelines, and the stands. When the dust settled, the visitors from Long Beach Poly emerged with a 25-20, 25-10, 22-25, 22-25, 15-10 win over Millikan to remain unbeaten in Moore League play.
“Our preparation throughout the week was, we’re just going over there to play a volleyball game, and we’re going to go and execute, and we did that for the first two sets,” said Poly head coach Gerald Aquiningoc after the win. “When (Millikan) caught momentum, and then the fans started getting chippy back and forth, the girls were trying to replicate and match the fans’ energy, it felt like. And then we mentally broke down for two sets.”
After winning sets three and four, Millikan had the momentum and an ever-expanding home crowd behind them, but Aquiningoc said that’s when Poly was able to circle up, stem the tide, and get back to playing their brand of volleyball.
“Between sets four and five, we regrouped them and let them know, all we need to do is just play normal volleyball and we were going to win this game,” Aquiningoc said. “What I’m really proud of is us getting ourselves out of it. That’s what I told them, way to mentally regroup, because it was all mental. There was no X and O stuff. It was just us in our own heads.”
Junior outside McKenna Iamaleava led the way for Poly with a monster performance, racking up a match-high 18 kills to go with 21 digs. She was a consistent offensive presence for the Jackrabbits, who appeared to be in firm control of the match after a dominant first two sets.
Poly never trailed on their way to a 2-0 lead in the match, starting out the evening with a 6-1 lead in set one. The Jackrabbits led by as many as 11 when they got set point at 24-13, but Millikan was able to generate some momentum with a 7-0 run to make things a little more interesting. Ultimately, a kill by Sianalei Purcell ended game one to put Poly up 1-0.
The Jackrabbits controlled set two from start to finish, using a 9-0 run in the middle of the set to take a 19-6 lead. An ace from Cika Talaga ended the set, 25-10, and with all momentum wearing green & gold it appeared the visitors were headed for a routine sweep.
But Millikan didn’t back down, and gradually found more offensive success as the match went on. As the Rams limited their unforced hitting errors, they were able to find their footing and battle back into the match.
“I think there’s an element of resilience on our team,” said Millikan head coach Antonella De la Espriella. “We’re so fortunate that our bench is deep. At any moment, we can put someone on the court and they can perform. And sometimes, coming off the bench and seeing the game from the outside and then coming back in, I think that really helped our girls have some better vision about where they were going to attack, and how they were going to put the ball away.”
It was certainly a balanced attack for the Rams, who didn’t have anyone record more than seven kills on the night. Setter Lila Walters was a big part of her team’s turnaround, finishing with seven kills and three aces. Aubrey Greene had seven kills on the outside, Bethany Arnold chipped in six kills and middle Willow Lebron had four kills and four blocks for the Rams.
Tuesday night’s match also had its fair share of controversy, with Long Beach Poly’s players and coaches getting frustrated with the officiating throughout the match. In particular, the final point of set three was a close call at the net where a Poly player put her shot wide as a Millikan player fell into the net. The call went Millikan’s way to end set three, 25-22, but drew the ire of Aquiningoc and resulted in a red card issued to Poly’s Lauren Foster (plus a point for Millikan to start the next set).
Another red card was given to Talaga during the fourth set after a controversial touch call, meaning Millikan was awarded two points in a set they ended up winning 25-22. Aquiningoc said he’s never had two players receive red cards in a match, and did not hold back in his assessment of the officiating.
“This is why I’ve been pushing for a league meeting, that when Poly plays Millikan, Lakewood, or Millikan, we need to have four referees at the game.” he said. “Every time we’ve gone to Millikan, there’s always phantom touch calls, or the linesman on their side is always making a couple questionable calls … I’m not trying to yell at a player, but when it’s obvious and their coaches are talking to them after they make the call, that’s not the etiquette of volleyball, and that’s why I was upset. That’s why I lost my cool.
“I felt like the game was getting out of control, and it kept (Millikan) in it. Those touch calls that were supposed touches, kept them in the game during really big momentum swings, and that shouldn’t be happening when it’s a match like this.”
Amid the controversy and rising tensions in the gym, Millikan’s Parker Brumbelow had a pair of crucial back-row kills during a 5-0 Millikan run to close out set four. That forced a winner-take-all fifth set, where Poly was able to limit mistakes and rediscover their early form.
Iamaleava had three kills in that final set, and aces from Hannah Ballungay and Talaga were huge momentum plays in that decisive game. Talaga finished with nine kills and 20 digs for the Jackrabbits while Purcell added eight kills of her own.
The teams did ultimately shake hands, but there was plenty of commotion following the final whistle. Aquiningoc stood behind his players, who voiced displeasure on multiple occasions throughout the latter stages of Tuesday’s match.
“I think I do a really good job in my programs of discipline, and we have a disciplined group,” Aquiningoc said. “But what I don’t do, is I don’t tell my players to not be themselves. And if they feel like they’re being taken advantage of, my captain is going to go speak to defend her team. I felt like they were in line there, because it was just getting out of hand.”
The win keeps Long Beach Poly (12-3, 5-0) tied atop the Moore League standings ahead of their big home match against Wilson (11-5, 5-0) on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile for Millikan (14-6, 3-2), they remain in a tense battle among the league’s top three teams. The Rams are 0-2 against Wilson and Poly, but took at least one set off each team and have positives they can take from Tuesday’s performance.
“I think that we can beat both those teams,” De la Espriella said. “I think it’s going to come down to everyone showing up that night. So we need every aspect of our game. We need our serve receive, we need our defense, we need the setting to be on, the hitting. So if we can get everything firing on all cylinders consistently, I think we’ll be okay.”
The Rams are back in action on Thursday evening when they host Lakewood to close out the first half of Moore League play.
