The562’s coverage of high school volleyball in 2026 is brought to you by the MLP’s Bay Area Breakers.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly Athletics for the 2026-27 school year is sponsored by Former Jackrabbits Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
Long Beach Poly’s Ron Palmer Pavilion has played like a haunted house for visiting girls’ volleyball teams. In the last four seasons under head coach Gerald Aquiningoc, the Jackrabbits have never lost in their home gym.
Halloween night was no exception, as Poly leaned on its home crowd and wore down visiting Murrieta Valley, winning a CIF-SS Division 2 semifinal in four sets, 25-22, 20-25, 25-16, 25-18.
Aquiningoc isn’t eager to let that magic go, but Saturday’s win might just be the last girls’ volleyball match played inside “The RPP.” The building carries decades of rich athletics history, but is due for an upgrade after the season, as Poly continues a full campus renovation.
When a kill from Poly’s McKennah Iamaleava deflected off a defender and ricocheted off the ceiling, it knocked chunks of insulation onto Murrieta Valley’s bench. Surely it’s time for some new digs, but if this was in fact farewell for the Poly girls’ volleyball program, the stakes of the match and the team’s performance made it a fitting sendoff.
“Ron Palmer is the X factor,” said Aquiningoc after yet another home victory. “There’s just something about it: the lighting, the crowd, the heat, all that stuff. It’s the true home court advantage. I’m gonna really miss this place … It’s my favorite gym to play in. There’s just something about it, the history of it, the mystique, and I love it. I hope when they rebuild it, they can try and replicate it as close as possible. But it’s been a real honor to coach in this gym, and our girls love it too.”
The Jackrabbits played another strong match against a worthy opponent on Saturday afternoon, getting contributions up and down the lineup. Poly had three hitters reach double-digit kills, led by 13 from senior Aleeyah Salima, who had seven in the first set alone.
Junior Avery Milburn continued her hot streak with a dozen kills on the outside, and senior McKennah Iamaleava posted a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs.
“It’s just really hard to stop us when all three are going,” said Aquiningoc of his trio of pin hitters. “Once all three of them started to click, it was very hard for their blocking scheme. So they did well, but the key today was our middle attack. Alison (Wetteland) and Lailah (Clayborne) had the best game they’ve had all season, and they did a really good job of drawing the middle blocker so that we can create some one-on-ones,”
Wetteland and Clayborne combined for 15 kills on 27 swings, providing a steady supply of offense for the Jackrabbits, who continued to display strong defense and service game.
Poly had 11 service aces, led by a half-dozen from Cika Talaga, who also added a team-high 16 digs from her libero spot.
“I think I served pretty well today,” Talaga said. “I’ve been struggling with my serve a little bit the past few days, just kind of just trying to find my toss. But I give all the credit to Gerald for helping me.”
Poly started off well in each set to take early leads, going up 10-3 in the first, 6-3 in the second, 11-4 in the third, and 9-1 in the fourth set.
Murrieta Valley got a match-high 18 kills from junior outside Summer Tukua–an Auburn commit who added an ace and three blocks for the Nighthawks. Sophomore Celeste Kemle added 11 kills and sophomore Chandler Short had six kills, three aces and three blocks.
Long Beach Poly advances to its fifth CIF-SS title game in program history, and second in the last three years. The Jackrabbits won the Division 3 title in 2024, and previously won CIF-SS championships in 2000 and 2010 in Division 1AA.
A familiar foe awaits in this year’s final, as Redondo Union won the bracket’s other semifinal with a four-set triumph over San Juan Hills. Long Beach Poly visited Redondo Union for a regular season match on Oct. 14 and emerged with a thrilling five-set victory over the Sea Hawks.
The two programs have squared off at least once in eight consecutive seasons, with Poly’s win this year snapping an 11-match winning streak for Redondo Union. Saturday’s match will also serve as a rematch of the 2010 championship win for Poly.
The official start time for the final will be announced by the CIF-SS office on Monday, but the match is expected to be held at Cerritos College on Saturday, Nov. 7.
