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Long Beach Wilson Athletics coverage from The562. Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009;
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The Wilson men's volleyball team has been one of the most dominant teams in the city over the past three seasons, winning three Moore League championships while rarely dropping a set in league play. On Tuesday night, they took on a 9-1 Long Beach Poly team that was poised for a big upset. The Bruins' sluggers slugged it out, but the Jackrabbits made enough plays, 20-25, 25-17, 17-25, 25, in a breakthrough volleyball game that showcased Long Beach's talent. They paved the way for a thrilling victory against 19. 15-13.
“When the season started, we knew we were going to be good, but we didn't know how good we could be,” Poly coach Sid Davidson said. “They have to believe in themselves. We know Wilson is the defending league champion and we have to respect them. But we have a little bit of an edge. was there.”
Poly senior captain Lucky Iosua said he was proud of himself and his teammates for the win. Iosua led Poly's overall team effort with a team-high 13 kills, nine digs and two blocks.
“I think we can go really far this year,” he said. “We're all really trying our best. We just have to believe in ourselves on the court and keep pushing.”
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The first set started like a bombshell for Wilson, with stars Marek Turner and Ian Nolte of the Bruins scoring big bounce kills that slid off the hardwood and onto the gym roof. The Bruins led comfortably from wire to wire, and Davidson said he spoke candidly with his team after they dropped the opening frame 25-20.
“I told them, 'Looks like you guys are defeated,'” Davidson said. “'All you have to do is play like you've been practicing and playing like you've been playing against other teams.'”
The Jackrabbits came into the second set with great motivation and took a 10-6 lead. They were encouraged by the Bruins' numerous hitting errors, as they had 11 hitting or net errors and four serving errors in the set.
The Jackrabbits capped off a great night for Iosua, with setters Olly Ogelsby and Jackson Trunnell scattering the ball and combining for 46 assists. Poli won the second set but knew the Bruins would fight back in the third and did just that, winning 25-17. The Jackrabbits had their backs against the wall in the fourth set but did well, winning 25-19 and taking the fifth set.
The Bruins led 9-7 and were on their way to victory, with Turner and Nolte once again bringing home big scores. But the Jackrabbits hung on, getting two kills from Matt Tsao, a double call from Wilson and a missed hit from Bruin to turn the tide and take a 12-9 lead. The Jackrabbits took a 14-11 lead on Isoa's kill, but the Bruins didn't give up either, with Turner getting a kill and Poli's hit error cutting the lead to 14-13. However, the Bruins' serve went into the net and Poli won the battle, winning the decisive set 15-13.
This started a huge celebration between the Poly team and the audience. Davidson ignored his coach's comments afterward, admitting, “This was a huge deal for us.” “Huge.”
In addition to Iosua, Poli was led by Tsao with 10 kills, John Hively with eight kills and KJ Hill with seven kills. Ogelsby and Jonas Gutierrez led the way with 11 digs each.
Wilson was led by Nolte with 15 kills and Turner with 14 kills, with both showing great defense.
“We knew they were going to get their stuff, especially with their monster serve,” Davidson said. “We just wanted the other players to step up.”
Both teams will continue playing this week as Poly visits Lakewood on Thursday and Wilson hosts Cabrillo.
