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.
Wednesday afternoon provided a feeling the Wilson beach volleyball program has become accustomed to. The Bruins returned to the courts at Long Beach City College with a chance to clinch another Moore League championship in a rematch against Long Beach Poly, and did so in convincing fashion with a 4-1 victory to claim their fourth straight title.
“We have a ton of respect for Poly and we know we have a target on our backs, so I’m super proud of the girls and what they’ve been able to accomplish,” said Wilson coach Jeremy Cook. “I tell them not to take it for granted, because we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. There was a point in that match where it could’ve flipped on us, so I’m just proud of the girls and happy for the program.”
The biggest difference between the Bruins’ two matchups with Poly came on Court 4, where Dani Dobie took a tough loss last week without her usual partner, Sage Darling. With Darling back on Wednesday, the pair returned to the win column with a decisive victory over Giselle Millsap and Finley Stuart to give Wilson an early 1-0 lead.
Dobie is in her senior year while Darling is a sophomore, and this is the pair’s first season playing together after not teaming up until midway through the year. The two have now found their rhythm on Court 4, where they’ve been dominant so far with notable wins against Millikan and Poly.
“It was definitely different at the beginning of the season—we were both losing on different courts to a couple of teams, and that’s when we split up and Sage and I came together and started winning,” Dobie said. “I feel like everything has worked out how it’s supposed to, and now we’ve won the league for the fourth time in a row, so it’s pretty great.”
The win on Court 4 came nearly simultaneously with Wilson’s Court 1 win, putting the Bruins in great shape with three matches still in play. Wilson then carried that momentum despite a Poly win on Court 5, closing out a pair of wins on Courts 2 and 3 to seal the title.
“It was nice knowing we did our part to help the team, especially early,” Darling said. “It felt good to secure one of the spots toward the win. It could’ve gone either way with two of those courts going to a third set, and every point matters, so we pushed for those points and really wanted to set up our team.”
Simrin Adams and Sadie Calderone were, of course, Wilson’s top pair on Court 1 and delivered another dominant performance as part of the Bruins’ hot start. The duo took down Poly’s Avery Milburn and Mina Orbiso in quick fashion to extend their undefeated streak this season on Court 1.
Wilson then clinched the match on Court 2 as Ilya Alvarado and Jane Morrison took down Londyn Foster and Keola Napoleon-Alvarez to give the Bruins their third win, before the match’s only two three-set contests played out to finish the afternoon.
Poly had one of those wins on Court 5, where Lailah Claiborne and Dayna Lagafuaina came back for a reverse sweep over Charlie Ginsberg and Alex Beverly. The matchup was by far the most competitive in both meetings, as Ginsberg and Beverly were on the other end of a reverse sweep in their first match.
The Bruins finished the afternoon with Court 3 as the last court standing, where Peyton Agura and Madison Castillo outlasted Poly’s Aleeya Salima and Maddie Hong for a three-set victory. The pair are another newer sophomore-senior duo, and Cook had high praise for them, noting they’re playing well at the right time.
Wilson will now gear up to face Millikan on Thursday before the two meet again at the Moore League individual finals on April 1.
“That’s something we’ve been looking forward to,” Cook said of the finals. “We’ve gotten one or two pairs recognized on the all-league team even though we go undefeated in league, so that’s something we’re looking to change this year, and the girls are going to have to do it themselves. One of our goals from the beginning of the year was to get four pairs on the all-league team, and the top eight are recognized.”
Final Results:
Court 1: Simrin Adams/Sadie Calderone (WIL) def. Avery Milburn/Mina Orbiso (LBP) 21-9, 21-12
Court 2: Ilya Alvarado/Jane Morrison (WIL) def. Londyn Foster/Keola Napoleon-Alvarez (LBP) 21-17, 21-19
Court 3: Peyton Agura/Madison Castillo (WIL) def. Aleeya Salima/Maddie Hong (LBP) 23-21, 17-21, 15-9
Court 4: Dani Dobie/Sage Darling (WIL) def. Giselle Millsap/Finley Stuart (LBP) 21-10, 21-10
Court 5: Lailah Claiborne/Dayna Lagafuaina (LBP) def. Charlie Ginsberg/Alex Beverly (WIL) 12-21, 21-13, 15-10
