Coming off a five-set match the night before and playing in their sweltering home gym, the challenge for Long Beach Poly was to hit the rest button against fellow Moore League undefeated Wilson. The Jackrabbits passed the test and took sole control of first place in league at the midway point of the season with an impressive sweep of the Bruins, 25-18, 25-17, 25-18.
The win breaks the tie atop the league standings between the last two Moore League unbeatens, with Poly now alone in first, Wilson in second with one loss, and Millikan in third with two.
“I love the way that we bounced back,” said Poly coach Gerald Aquiningoc. “We had a team meeting after the Millikan game (Tuesday night) and did a mental reset. I thought we executed in all phases tonight, our passing line kept us in system for most of the match, we won the serve and pass battle, and our attacking was spot on.”
The Jackrabbits’ biggest arms came through once again as McKenna Iamaleava followed up an 18 kill, 21 dig performance Tuesday with an 18 kill night against the Bruins, an impressive clip in just three sets. Iamaleava was thrilled with the surprise that all seven of her siblings were in attendance, including older brothers Nico and Madden, who are QBs at UCLA, as well as former Poly volleyball players Matt and Nicaylah.
“I didn’t know, I was super locked in today but when I saw my brothers walked in I was super happy,” said Iamaleava. “My older brothers have been super busy lately so I’m really happy that they came to support me.”
Poly trailed 15-14 in the first set when a 5-0 run with Iamaleava serving flipped the score, including a hard-hit ace. The Jackrabbits pulled away from that point and took the frame on a big attack by Cika Talaga, who had 10 kills on just 15 swings.
The second set saw Poly jump out to a big 9-3 lead, and maintain their lead throughout with Talaga closing it out again. The third was tighter with Poly leading just 13-12 in the middle of the set when freshman Cheeky Talaga served up a 7-0 run that included an ace. Wilson only yielded three aces to Poly, but the Jackrabbits’ service pressure kept the Bruins out of system much of the evening.
“We’re playing really well right now, the atmospheres have been intense but we’re sticking together and trying to come out on top,” said Cheeky Talaga.
For Wilson, there were positives in the match.
“We’re definitely progressing,” said Bruins coach Gersain Pineda. “Today was a reminder that we can’t be comfortable, we have to make sure you’re pushing every single game. I think we’re still in a good run for it, we have one more chance at this.”
Pineda said he told his team to keep their heads up as they prepare for the second half of the league schedule.
Bruins star Simrin Adams had 10 kills and two blocks in the match, and middle blocker Sadie Calderone had five kills, two blocks, and two aces.
One thing all present in the gym could agree was that it was a hot and humid evening at Poly, which left fans fanning themselves and players with hands on hips after long rallies. Aquiningoc said he sees it as an advantage for his squad.
“We practice in this,” he said. “I don’t leave the doors open for practice. We want it to be that when they’re getting tired, we’re just coming into form. That’s what we do, and we compete a lot at practice to make sure we’re ready for that.”
Both teams will now head to Las Vegas for the prestigious Durango tournament with hopes to continue to improve.
