We Speak Volleyball

Long Beach Poly Beats Murrieta Valley 3-1 to Reach the CIF-SS Division 2 Final

Published

1 hour ago

November 2, 2026

A Long Beach Poly player celebrates at the net during the Division 2 semifinal.

Photo courtesy of Long Beach Poly Volleyball.

Long Beach Poly’s home gym has been a hard place for visiting teams for four seasons under head coach Gerald Aquiningoc, and Halloween afternoon was no different. The Jackrabbits beat Murrieta Valley 3-1 in a CIF Southern Section Division 2 semifinal at Ron Palmer Pavilion, winning 25-22, 20-25, 25-16 and 25-18 to reach the championship match.

Poly jumped in front early in every set, building leads of 10-3 in the first, 11-4 in the third and 9-1 in the fourth. Murrieta Valley took the second set and pushed throughout, but the Jackrabbits’ balance wore the Nighthawks down.

Three Poly hitters reached double digit kills. Senior Aleeyah Salima led the Jackrabbits with 13 kills, seven of them in the first set alone. Junior Avery Milburn added 12 kills, and senior McKennah Iamaleava posted a double double with 10 kills and 12 digs. Middles Alison Wetteland and Lailah Clayborne combined for 15 kills, and libero Cika Talaga served six of Poly’s 11 aces and led the team with 16 digs.

Murrieta Valley got a match high 18 kills from junior Summer Tukua, an Auburn commit who added an ace and three blocks. Sophomore Celeste Kemle had 11 kills, and sophomore Chandler Short finished with six kills, three aces and three blocks.

The win sends Long Beach Poly to its fifth CIF-SS title match in program history and its second in three years. A familiar opponent waits in the final, Redondo Union, on Saturday, November 7 at Cerritos College.

We Speak Volleyball

Amador Goes on the Road and Knocks Off Mariposa County 3-1 in the Playoff Opener

Published

22 minutes ago

November 2, 2026

We Speak Media

The Amador volleyball players pose on the team bus during the trip to Mariposa.

Photo courtesy of Amador Volleyball.

Amador made the long trip to Mariposa County on Tuesday night and came home with a playoff win, beating the Grizzlies 3-1 in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoffs.

The Buffaloes took the opening set 25-22, dropped a tight second set 26-24, and then took over the match. Amador won the third set 25-19 and closed out the fourth 25-15 to finish off one of the bigger road wins of the opening round anywhere in the section.

The result was no small feat. Mariposa County entered the playoffs as the undefeated Southern League champion, 14-0 in league play, and the Grizzlies had not lost a league match in 42 straight outings dating back through their run of dominance, according to The Mariposan. Their only losses all season had come against larger schools, and they were playing at home in front of their own crowd.

None of that slowed the Buffaloes, who turned the night into a team celebration. The program’s own social post from the trip called it a fierce fight for the win after the long ride south, a bus trip, and a stop on the way. After dropping the second set, Amador answered with its two most comfortable sets of the night to seal the upset.

The win advanced Amador to the Division V quarterfinals, where the Buffaloes’ run ended Thursday with a 3-1 loss at Bret Harte. Mariposa County closed a standout season at 27-11, its league championship streak stopped one match into the postseason by a Sutter Creek team that refused to be intimidated.

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