The562’s coverage of high school volleyball in 2025 is brought to you by the MLP’s Bay Area Breakers.
The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
The reigning Moore League champions from Wilson opened Thursday afternoon’s beach volleyball doubleheader against Lakewood with a hard-fought 5-0 sweep at the LBCC sand courts.
Wilson was able to clinch the win fairly quickly with three straight-set wins, but had to pull out a pair of three-set wins to take the 5-0 decision.
“Getting tested, not getting easy sweeps, and then finding ways to win those close matches is important,” said Wilson head coach Jeremy Cook. “When conditions are not ideal, when you’re not playing your best, then it just comes down to mental strength. Being tough and being able to find a way to get it done.”
The duo of Kate Vanderwal and Dani Dobie was particularly dominant on court 2, winning 21-12, 21-6 to get Wilson on the board. Cook also gave a shout-out to his fours, Jane Morrison and Iyla Alvarado, who were 21-10, 21-9 winners.
“I thought Iyla and Jane on court four were super consistent,” Cook said. “They have been all season, so they did amazing.”
Wilson’s top pair of Simrin Adams and Sadie Calderone were in a tight battle all afternoon with Lakewood’s Lalalei Hall and Carly Bercero, needing extra points in the third game in order to finally secure the point: 21-18, 16-21, 19-17.
The Bruins also showed resilience on court 3, where Peyton Agura and Milan Lewis fell behind 16-5 in the opening set, but battled back to make things respectable in that frame, falling 21-17 to Lakewood’s Jianne Lara and Emily Nanez.
Wilson rolled that momentum into the rest of the matchup, eventually claiming a 17-21, 21-14, 15-13 victory. Cook said he’s glad his team is being tested, and were able to find ways to win despite exceptionally windy conditions on Thursday.
“I think the wind did play a factor, but it played a factor for both teams,” Cook said. “We’re happy to get the sweep, and it’s probably not the worst thing that we had to sweat it out a little bit. We’ve got a big match coming on Tuesday against Millikan, so being able to overcome a little adversity is probably a good lesson.”
The Bruins will indeed be facing Millikan on Tuesday, back at LBCC for a 4:15 start. Lakewood will return to the LBCC courts on Thursday when they take on Poly at 2:30 p.m.
Below are the scores for each of the five flights:
- Simrin Adams/Sadie Calderone (WIL) def. Lalalei Hall/Carly Bercero (LW) 21-18, 16-21, 19-17
- Kate Vanderwal/Dani Dobie (WIL) def. Joleen Ong/Jenna Smith (LW) 21-12, 21-6
- Peyton Agura/Milan Lewis (WIL) def. Jianne Lara/Emily Nanez (LW) 17-21, 21-14, 15-13
- Jane Morrison/Iyla Alvarado (WIL) def. Claire Simon/Jayla Nelson (LW) 21-10, 21-9
- Kyra Bryant/Na’ima Lewis (WIL) def. Leylah Zepeda/Kyrah Feagin (LW) 21-13, 21-11
