The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Former Jackrabbits Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
It felt like a Moore League championship preview Tuesday between the top beach volleyball teams in the city with Wilson and Long Beach Poly. Both are coming off CIF-SS titles in different divisions, with the Jackrabbits aiming to take another step forward this year against the defending Moore League champions.
But after an hour delay due to the heat and a hard-fought five-match battle, Wilson showed once again it belongs at the top, edging Long Beach Poly 3-2 at Long Beach City College to stay undefeated in the Moore League.
“Credit to Poly, they’re outstanding and it was a battle today,” said Wilson coach Jeremy Cook. “It feels really good to beat a team like that. Courts 1 and 2 have been dependable for us all season, so we knew it would come down to 3, 4 and 5. We had a pair of freshmen step up on Court 5, and I couldn’t be more proud of this entire group today.”
That Court 5 pair of Charlie Ginsberg and Alex Beverly rallied back from a 21-12 first set for Poly’s Lailah Claiborne and Dayna Lagafuaina before closing out the match 21-17, 15-12 for the reverse sweep. The freshmen’s win gave Wilson a 2-1 edge for the match before the Bruins closed it out on Court 2 to secure the victory.
“We wanted it, we really wanted it,” Ginsberg said after the match. “I liked having everyone watching, and having them all count on us made us both want it even more.”
“I really liked the environment and I think we have positive players on this team that push us to win,” added Beverly. “I think it made us try a lot harder and fight for it more because we really did not want to lose that game, and I felt like our teammates being there helped so much with that.”
Wilson had another no-doubt win on Court 1 from Division 1 commits Simrin Adams and Sadie Calderone, who extended their streak to 12 straight wins since the start of the season. The pair defeated Poly’s Avery Milburn and Mina Orbiso in a 21-15, 21-18 sweep to give the Bruins their first win of the afternoon.
Ilya Alvarado and Jane Morrison then delivered once again on Court 2, sweeping Poly’s Aleeya Salima and Londyn Foster 21-12, 21-17 to put Wilson ahead 3-2 and clinch the overall win. The convincing victory pushed the duo to 11-1 on the season.
“Those are close scores—it’s not like they’re running away with it, but those pairs on Courts 1 and 2 are just dependable and consistent. You know what you’re going to get with them,” Cook said. “They’re not up and down, and it’s a luxury to rely on them while the other courts battle it out. Today it was Court 5, but next time it could be Court 3 or 4 coming up with that big win.”
Poly had a reverse sweep of its own on Court 4, where Giselle Millsap and Finley Stuart bounced back from a 21-11 first-set loss to defeat Wilson’s Dani Dobie and Courtney Johnson in three. The pair won a second set that went to extra points before closing out a tight 15-13 third set to even the overall match at one apiece.
Wilson would then take the next two matches to clinch the overall win, however, the Jackrabbits ended on a high note on Court 3, where Sianalei Purcell and Maddie Hong defeated Wilson’s Peyton Agura and Madison Castillo in straight sets. The duo capped it with a narrow 22-20 second set to close the afternoon.
Both teams will return to the courts on Wednesday as Wilson faces off against Jordan subsequent to Long Beach Poly’s matchup against Millikan. The teams will meet again in their final league matchup on March 30.
Full Match Results:
Court 1: Simrin Adams/Sadie Calderone (WIL) def. Avery Milburn/Mina Orbiso (LBP) 21-15, 21-18
Court 2: Ilya Alvarado/Jane Morrison (WIL) def. Aleeya Salima/Londyn Foster (LPB) 21-12, 21-17
Court 3: Sianalei Purcell/Maddie Hong (LBP) def. Peyton Agura/Madison Castillo (WIL) 21-15, 22-20
Court 4: Giselle Millsap/Finley Stuart (LBP) def. Dani Dobie/Courtney Johnson (WIL) 11-21, 22-20, 15-13
Court 5: Charlie Ginsberg/Alex Beverly (WIL) def. Lailah Claiborne/Dayna Lagafuaina (LBP) 12-21, 21-17, 15-12
