The roller coaster season for the Long Beach Poly girls’ volleyball team took yet another unexpected turn on Thursday morning.
10 hours before its scheduled CIF Southern Section Division II First Round playoff game at Aliso Niguel, Jackrabbits coach Megan Moenoa received a phone call:
Five varsity players had to quarantine due to possible COVID-19 exposure and would be unavailable for their matchup against the No. 1 seeded Wolverines.
“I had to create a different lineup but I told our AD we are not forfeiting,” Moenoa said.
With new faces, the Jackrabbits came out with a lot of energy and crisp blocking, stunning the Wolverine faithful as they stole set one, 25-21.
“I just told them to show up with energy and stay together,” Moenoa said.
However, the Wolverines (22-4) bounced back and won the next three sets (25-11, 25-14, 25-20) to end the Jackrabbits’ (8-17) season.
Aliso Niguel will face Rancho Cucamonga in the second round on Saturday..
Senior captain Brooke Pattschull dominated sets two and three for Aliso Niguel as the middle blocker had block after block and forced the Jackrabbits to switch their offense.
“She secured her point of the net and controlled it,” Moenoa said.
In set four, Poly was down 20-13 but Moenoa said she saw the “heart of the program” as they battled back.
“That’s the Poly spirit,” she said. “We are building a foundation.”
In her final game as a Jackrabbit, senior Adonia Faumuina had 10 kills while JoJo Fuamatu had seven and Emma Holder had six.
Faumuina’s high school career isn’t over just yet as the USC commit will participate in the Under-Armour All-American Game in Orlando, FL on Dec. 30.
