The562’s coverage of high school volleyball in 2023-2024 is brought to you by the MLP’s Bay Area Breakers.
The562’s coverage of Avalon Athletics is sponsored by Curtain Maritime.
Avalon boys’ volleyball has been absolutely dominant during the CIF Southern Section Division 7 playoffs, and a win on the road Wednesday made school history.
The Lancers beat Vasquez 25-17, 25-21, 16-25, 25-20 in the quarterfinals and that means they’re headed to their first semifinals round ever. Avalon will host Downey Calvary Chapel on Saturday with a trip to the championship game on the line.
“I am really excited for this team, our school and community,” Avalon coach Carlos Martinez said. “I’m proud of our kids and about how hard they’ve worked to achieve this goal. They are ready and want to play, they’re not ready to be done with this season.”
In the quarterfinal victory, Jacob Mello led the way for Avalon with 16 kills and 18 digs. David Mulgado collected 12 kills and 10 digs while Erick Madriz chipped in 13 kills. Setter Aaron Meza captained the Lancers offense with 43 assists and three aces. On defense, Uriel Zavala had an impressive 31 digs while Nathan Jones was in on four blocks.
“I always knew this group of athletes was special,” Martinez added. “One of the things that I am proud of is that they give it their all every point. We fight till the end and I’ve seen that growth throughout this year. These young men get confidence, they believe they can do it and they go out and execute.”
Avalon also beat La Mirada in four sets in the first round before sweeping St. Paul in the second round.
“Being a part of this special community in Avalon, I just want this so bad for the kids because they deserve it,” Martinez said. “A lot of times our kids at Avalon get overlooked because we’re not from some big city. But there is so much great talent here. We have made a name for ourselves that we have homegrown talent.”
