The562’s coverage of high school volleyball in 2023-24 is brought to you by the MLP’s Bay Area Breakers.
Last year, Wilson went undefeated in the Moore League, clinching the title for the third year in a row as one of the most dominant teams in the city, with several Division 1 commits and a USA Volleyball athlete. The Bruins are looking for a four-peat while the other Long Beach teams aim to knock off the reigning champions.
The Moore League will return some big stars, while others have graduated or transferred. These changes will open up spots for some new players to make a mark.
With the Long Beach boys’ volleyball season getting underway, check out what the teams are looking for this season.
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Wilson
The Wilson Bruins are looking to stay hot this season. After winning their third Moore League title in a row, the Bruins graduated Moore League Player of the Year, Braden Pool-Harris, and Dylan Stump Award winner Max Cherin.
While these may be big losses for Wilson, the Bruins still have the same hungry mindset that has led them to success in recent years, and some big talent.
“We understand we’re a very different team than we were in the last couple of seasons,” Head coach Chris Ceballos said. “We still think we have a talent to do really well in league and then CIF. We just got to make sure that we’re taking care of the little things.”
Ceballos said this different Bruins team is made up of JV guys that are stepping up to fill big roles. Ceballos also said he has high expectations for fresh face Liam Ancel-James. Ancel-James is a 6’6” junior from France.
“He’s going to be a big figure for us in the middle,” Ceballos said. “He’s athletic and he moves around pretty well. Hopefully, he can fill the void we lost from last year’s team.”
While the Bruins look to fill some big holes, Ceballos said three of starters are returners.
The top returner for Wilson will be junior Marek Turner. The UCLA commit also plays for the U.S. U19 National Team.
“He’s an amazing athlete,” Ceballos said. “He’s 6’4” but he jumps out of the building.”
Turner is an opposite hitter but has been working as a setter to help the Bruins through their injury bug.
“Once he gets to play his position, he’s one of the best players in the country,” Ceballos said.
The other two returners are seniors Ian Nolte and Will Morrison.
Nolte is an Ohio State commit and one of the top players in the country. Nolte trains with the National Team Development Program, Ceballos said.
“He just brings a lot of maturity, experience and leadership on the court,” Ceballos said. “He just has extreme athleticism. He’s going to be a big factor anywhere he goes.”
Morrison is a 6’5” outside hitter who has been getting a lot of looks from top division programs but hasn’t committed yet, Ceballos said.
Ceballos said Morrison brings a lot of power to the team but is currently helping as a setter, since both of Wilson’s projected setters are out for the time being.
As Wilson looks to fill some big spots and rely on their strong set of returners, Ceballos said his team is working on staying grounded.
“We understand that the season is a journey,” Ceballos said. “Every game we play is a learning experience. We’re enjoying the moment, being present and just trying to grow throughout this journey.”
Millikan
The Millikan Rams are entering this season fearless. Head coach Matt Johnson said what he wants from his team this year is their best effort.
“I want us to go in hammering away, playing our best game and if that result in not beating the other team because they were even better, then so be it,” Johnson said. “I really believe that we need to learn from our failures, that it’s okay to fail at times. When you do, you take that to heart in order to figure out how to get better.”
The Rams finished second place last year behind Wilson. This year, Millikan is looking a little different.
Jackson Cryst, a standout basketball and volleyball player for the Rams, transferred to Sage Hill for his junior year. First-team libero Gio Baltazar graduated, leaving two big holes in the Rams’ roster.
“There are lots of JV guys stepping up,” Johnson said. “We have a lot of talent on par with each other.”
Senior Keoni Temple is stepping in to be a starting middle for the Rams, Johnson said. Johnson said he is also looking to sophomores Evan Crucil-Chambers and Jacob Karkanen. Johnson said many of these players will be in the running for starting positions.
Senior Logan Karkanen is the big man returning for Millikan. Logan Karkanen was a setter for the team last year, but Johnson said he will have other roles this season.
“He’s in the natural place to be a leader,” Johnson said. “I think how he handles his business will ‘so goes the team’ in a lot of ways.”
Junior John Cammarata will be filling the spot as libero for the Rams.
“He’s taking the libero hole and he’s doing great,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he is confident in his team this year, especially after a strong showing in a fall beach league. The Rams finished second, only losing to Downey, the overall champions.
Millikan is 1-1 in the Moore League, defeating Cabrillo in three sets before being swept at Long Beach Poly. The next big match for the Rams will be March 12, when they host the defending champion Bruins.
Long Beach Poly
Long Beach Poly has started the season off strong with a 9-1 record and plans to keep their hot start rolling.
The Jackrabbits won their first five contests before suffering their only loss to Cypress on Feb. 24. Since this defeat, the ‘Rabbits are on a four game winning streak, two of which are Moore League opponents in Jordan and Millikan.
“Our game plan is to just play one game at a time,” head coach Sid Davidson said.
This plan has been successful for Long Beach Poly thus far, especially with the team’s rebuild.
“We’re going to be sneakily very, very good,” Davidson said. “This has been a couple years in the process. We’ve just been building and I think a lot of teams are going to overlook that.”
Senior setter Ali’i Tupu is going to be a huge player on the Jackrabbit roster.
“He’s all-around our best player,” Davidson said. “He plays defense and he hits the ball very well.”
Tupu will be accompanied by senior Lucky Iosua.
Iosua was a First-Team All Moore League player last year and is a four-year returning varsity player for Long Beach Poly. Davidson said Iosua is one of the team’s best blockers and hitters.
Another star returner will be Matthew Tsao. Tsao is a junior and First-Team All Moore League player.
“He’s our best ball controller,” Davidson said. “I call him ‘Stabilizer’ because he plays good defense and he passes the ball.”
Joining these Jackrabbit veterans is St. Anthony transfer and junior, Ryder Tuaolo.
“He’s definitely going to move our offense,” Davidson said. “Once he’s eligible, our offense will be up and going.”
While all of these players are going to be major components for the Poly squad this year, Davidson said his team is made up of quiet leaders.
“We do leader by committee,” Davidson said. “In our program, we have a lot of guys that have different traits. We try to make sure everyone leads in their own special way.”
While this Jackrabbit team looks to keep growing and winning, they have their eyes set on some hardware.
“Our first goal right now is to win Moore League,” Davidson said. “Then taking it from there, we solidify good seeds throughout the playoffs.”
Davidson has challenged his team with some strong games to work toward these goals.
Davidson said his team is traveling to San Diego to compete in one of the top tournaments in the country before playing in Hawaii during spring break. Davidson said his team’s unity is vital to their success in tough contests like these.
“We have to play together, play hard on defense and respect one another,” Davidson said. “Basically, just get after it.”
The Jackrabbits will be getting after it when they travel to play the defending-champion Wilson Bruins today.
Jordan
The Panthers are off to a slow start this year. Jordan has lost their first four games, including being swept by Long Beach Poly.
But, the Panthers have been battling. Jordan won a set in each loss, even pushing Paramount to five sets.
After a sweep from the Jackrabbits, Jordan traveled to Compton and swept the Tarbabes for their first win so far. They are gearing up for a big match on Tuesday, when they host Millikan.
The Panthers have an experienced roster. The squad has nine seniors, five juniors and two sophomores.
Last year, the Panthers finished in fourth place with a 6-6 record in the Moore League. This even record contributed to their overall record of 8-9. Jordan can use this older, experienced team to work toward a winning record.
Cabrillo
James Kainoa is in his second year as head coach of the Cabrillo Jaguars and is excited and ready to get to work.
“I’m proud and excited of not just my varsity returners, but the many new faces coming through the gym door,” Kainoa said. “We were able to put together a JV team, which hasn’t happened in many years at Cabrillo. Physically, our athletes are fine. It’s my job now to get working on their volleyball basics and IQ.”
Among Kainoa’s varsity returners, senior captain Aiden Silva is leading the Jags this year.
“He keeps us together and will do everything asked of him,” Kainoa said.
Senior Mychal Bradford and sophomore Demeyon Love will also be returning for Cabrillo. Kainoa said Bradford and Love are tough-minded, smart players who can jump out of the building.
“Both Demeyon and Mychal play at a different level for sure,” Kainoa said. “Nothing but high praise for them. I’m like everyone else when they play: grab my popcorn, take a seat and enjoy. Lucky for me, I have the best seat in the gym.”
While most teams center their goals around winning, Kainoa has some different goals for his team.
“We want our seniors to finish their careers on a high note,” Kainoa said. “We want them to create great memories that will be with them forever and accomplish their educational and athletic goals that they have worked hard for since the 9th grade.”
Kainoa said his team is coming into the 2024 season with one thing in mind: T.E.A.M..
Kainoa said he is using the word “Team” as an acronym for the Jags.
The “T” stands for transformative.
“Work to create significant change for each other to be successful on and off the court,” Kainoa said of the meaning.
The “E” is for education, which Kainoa said is his team’s first priority at all times.
The “A” is for accomplish.
“[You] start it, [you] finish it,” Kainoa said. “No other option available.”
And tying back to their goals for the season, the “M” stands for memories. Kainoa wants his players to “create it, live it, love it and remember it.”
Above everything, Kainoa knows that volleyball can bring a community together.
“Volleyball is the glue that keeps us together,” Kainoa said. “It has allowed us to just be better and stick together. I am thankful for the opportunity to be a coach at Cabrillo High School and being able to compete in the Moore League against the other great coaches and teams. I take pride in that.”
Cabrillo will be on the road for their next League contests. They travel to Compton on Tuesday before heading to 1600 Atlantic for a match with the Jackrabbits a week later.
Lakewood
Lakewood had a disappointing season last year, finishing sixth in Moore League with a 4-22 record overall.
However, head coach Adam Wadley is settling in for his second year in charge and is looking to have a different result this year.
“We didn’t really have the success that we wanted to have in terms of wins and losses,” Wadley said. “But that was actually kind of a blessing in disguise, because it made our boys a little bit more hungry to get better.”
Wadley says his team has been working hard in the offseason to prepare for the year. Many of the players joined club teams. Previously, there were zero club players and now there are about 10 or 11, Wadley said.
This experience has allowed the Lancers to get working earlier than they did last year, which Wadley said is a huge help to their team.
“The boys have been very excited to get back on the court and playing,” Wadley said. “We’ve been working now and getting stronger with workouts in the gym since early October. So we just started a lot earlier this year, and they’ll be super motivated to get good.”
There are three key players for Lakewood this year.
Junior Carlo Tautai Reyes is a returning outside and setter who was the only Lancer to earn First-Team All Moore League honors.
He will be joined by fellow junior Christian Newquist. Newquist is a Second-Team All Moore League middle blocker.
The Lancers will also look to senior Jared Jacob to lead the team. Jacob is an outside and opposite hitter who will try to help Lakewood on offense.
Two fresh faces are also joining this Lancer roster. Tavi Purcell and Aaron Seti are two freshmen Wadley said he is excited about.
“Purcell will be on the court, whether it’s setting or hitting,” Wadley said. “He’s pretty dynamic for being a freshman so he’ll be able to get plugged in wherever we need to put him.”
Seti will step in as a middle blocker for Lakewood. Both freshmen are expected to see a lot of playing time in their first year.
The Lancers are off to a 2-0 start, beating Katella in five sets and sweeping Compton. They will host Long Beach Poly on Thursday for a tough Moore League contest.
Compton
Compton hasn’t had a hot start to their season so far, but will look to turn things around as things ramp up.
The Tarbabes are 0-2, suffering sweeps from Lakewood and Jordan.
Second-Team All Moore League player Mikel Sloan has graduated, leaving some open spots for this year’s Compton team.
Compton will host Cabrillo and Millikan this week, looking for their first win on the year.
St. Anthony
St. Anthony had a good season last year and is hoping to build on that success. The Saints were Camino Real League champions, going undefeated with an 11-0 record.
“I think it’s kind of known, especially with the varsity team, that we should win league again.” JV head coach Danny Saldana said. “I think it’s definitely our league to lose.”
Whitney Anderson is the brand new face for the Saints, serving as the boys’ volleyball head coach for this season. Saldana is a veteran in the St. Anthony boys’ volleyball program who has been constant through the coaching change.
Anderson isn’t the only fresh face for the Saints.
Ian Weiss is a senior transfer and middle blocker from Bosco. Saldana said Weiss’s height will be crucial on the defensive side, putting up a wall and trying to get some big blocks.
“He’s gonna bring a whole new dynamic to the team just because of his height and his athleticism,” Saldana said.
Weiss will be joined by fellow seniors Owen Janisse and Earthan Le. Janisse and Le are returning Saints who are looking to lead their team to repeated success.
“They’re on the court leaders and they’re off the court leaders through their words and their actions,” Saldana said. “So it’s super beneficial that they’re back.”
Saldana said St. Anthony has another strong leader in sophomore setter Noah Furlough.
“He just has this competitive edge and this natural leadership quality,” Saldana said. “It’s almost like one of those roles that you’re kind of born into. You either ride with it or you don’t and he definitely just rides with that.”
Saldana said that after their success last year, the Saints know they are playing with a target on their back this season.
“Everyone’s going to play their best against us,” Saldana said. “So we’ve got to make sure we’re always playing our best against them every single game.”
While this could be added pressure, Saldana said overall he is just excited to watch the team this year.
“This is going to be a good year, a fun year,” Saldana said. “I’m just looking forward to sharing that with this special team that we have.”
St. Anthony kicks off league play today, as they will travel to Cathedral for a 5 p.m. start time.
