There was no doubt in his mind that the CIF-Southern Section playoffs would be special for the Ontario Christian High School boys volleyball team.
“This is a great group of players,” head coach Dave Sleggers said. “They work hard.”
That chemistry and work ethic helped lead the Knights to their first CIF Southern Section championship game, the Division 7 title game today (May 11) at home against Avalon High School.
The championship game begins at 1 p.m. at the Knights Center on the Ontario Christian High campus (931 W. Philadelphia St.).
Tickets can be purchased on the GoFan app or gofan.co. Admission is $12 for the general public and $5 for students and children.
Ontario Christian, the third-place team in the highly competitive Ambassador League, earned the top seed in Division 7.
The Knights (20-10) started their playoff run with straight-set wins over Los Angeles International School, a straight-set win over Marshall, a four-set win over Salesian and a straight-set win over Orangewood Academy last Saturday. To face today's final match.
“We knew it was going to be really hard to win the league, but we knew we could compete, and we did,” Slegers said of the Knights' 6-4 record in the Ambassador League. “Since we started the playoffs, we are now moving towards our second goal, which is to win a championship.”
Avalon, second in the Express League, has 26 wins and 11 losses this season.
The Lancers advanced to the championship game with a four-set win over La Mirada, a three-set win over St. Paul, a four-set win over Vasquez, and a straight-set win over Downey Calvary Chapel.
Like Ontario Christian, Avalon also advanced to the CIF Southern Section title game for the first time.
Christian, Ont., has won 20 games this season and is 20-47 from 2020 to 2023, including 1-18 in 2022 and 6-20 last season. .
Sleggers, who is in his 23rd year as the Knights' head coach, praised his players for working hard this season and staying focused from the preseason.
“It’s a very close group,” he said. “They're easy to coach. We don't want to say we're finalists, we want to be CIF champions.”
