The Montgomery High School boys volleyball team is charting new territory.
So far, it’s been an exciting journey.
Last Saturday, the Aztecs won their first San Diego Section championship in the sport by defeating fifth-seeded San Dieguito Academy in a five-game thriller at St. Augustine High School.
Third-seeded Montgomery won in comeback fashion by scores of 25-22, 19-25, 9-25, 25-22, 15-9 to capture the Division II title.
On Tuesday, the Aztecs took another bold step forward by defeating Division IV champion Madison in four games in an all-San Diego County pairing in the quarterfinals of the state regional playoffs.
On Thursday, Montgomery topped visiting Pomona Diamond Ranch 3-1 in the semifinals to advance to Saturday’s Southern California regional championship game at top-seeded Murrieta Valley.
“It’s really been exciting to represent the South Bay,” MOHS head coach Deborah Isaia said after Thursday’s latest win that raised her team’s season record to 25-6.
The Aztecs, seeded second in the Division III regional playoffs, dropped the first set 23-25 to third-seeded Diamond Ranch (23-10) but responded with three consecutive wins by scores of 25-19, 25-21, 25-21 to earn yet another date with history in the regional finals.
Murrieta Valley (21-11) eliminated fourth-seeded Garden Grove 25-13, 25-16, 25-20 in Thursday’s other half of the state regional semifinals.
The state regional championship game is set for a 6 p.m. start at Murrieta Valley High School.
Trevor Jurlina led the hosts with 28 kills in Thursday’s huge semifinal victory in front of a packed gym.
Montgomery joins fellow San Diego Section Division III champion Classical Academy (28-7) in Saturday’s Division II SoCal championship round after the sixth-seeded Caimans upset second-seeded Saddleback Valley Christian in five games 17-25, 25-20, 25-23, 16-25, 17-15 on Thursday.
Classical Academy, which eliminated South Bay League champion Sweetwater in the second round of the San Diego Section Division III playoffs, will meet top-seeded Orange Lutheran (31-8) in the state regional final after the Lancers eliminated fifth-seeded (and San Diego Section Division I champion) Cathedral Catholic in four games in Thursday’s semifinals.
The Dons, who defeated Eastlake for the section Division I title, upset fourth-seeded Tustin in the regional quarterfinals.
Locals only
Madison, which defeated Mission Vista in a three-game sweep 25-20, 25-18, 25-18 to win the section’s Division IV title last Friday, ended its season 18-4.
The Otay Mesa squad looked sharp in taking an early 2-0 lead on identical 25-16 wins against Madison. The Warhawks staved off quick elimination in the best-of-five series by winning the third game 25-20.
But the hosts quickly ran off a 4-1 lead in the fourth game, and extended the margin to 7-2 before eventually sealing the victory with a 25-15 win.
Jurlina led the Aztecs with 19 kills in the four-game victory. He had 21 kills in the CIF championship game win.
He called both the CIF championship game and state playoff opening wins “proud moments” for both the team and the school.
“Winning CIF was a very proud moment — a lot of schools in the South Bay never get to experience it,” he said. “Winning (Tuesday’s game) was another proud moment. It moves us closer to the championship game.”
Jesus Rodriguez recorded 10 kills in Tuesday’s state playoff win while both he and Jurlina notched four aces. Sean So racked up 22 digs while Rene Vela logged 40 assists.
“I feel we let down a little in the third game,” Jurlina noted. “We can’t do that in the future. The teams down the road are going to be better. We need to play like we’re capable of playing. We came back like we always do tonight (to beat Madison).”
Tuesday’s fourth game started off on a fortuitous note as the hosts recorded an ace on the opening serve. Alec Araiza put away San Dieguito Academy in Game 1 in Saturday’s CIF finals on an ace.
“It’s a quick way to set the tempo,” Isaia said.
The Aztecs certainly appeared to set the tempo in Saturday’s division championship game before seeing the momentum begin to slip away midway through Game 2.
Montgomery then suddenly found itself on the verge of elimination after falling by 16 points in an unsightly Game 3.
But a curious thing happened next. The Aztecs made their own momentum out of the sheer will to win.
At this point, Eastlake made its way into the Saints’ gym in preparation for the Division I championship game that followed. The Titans began cheering for fellow Mesa League foe Montgomery.
The Aztecs promptly picked up their play and won the fourth game to knot the teams at two wins apiece. Montgomery got off to an early 4-0 run in the deciding fifth game and held on to win by six points and make school history.
Isaia was the first to deliver an emotional reaction on the court. She began crying.
“They were tears of joy,” she explained. “I love this team so much. It was all heart.”
Jesus Rodriguez, who had 20 kills and 16 digs, said the support from the team’s vocal fans helped lift it to victory.
“We stepped up to play hard,” he said. “We play like a family.”
So contributed 20 digs while Rene Vela accumulated 45 assists to fuel the Aztecs’s comeback juggernaut.
Senior Saul Zerpa earned recognition as the match’s sportsmanship winner for the Division II champions.
“I’m always cheering on my teammates no matter whether we win or lose,” Zerpa said. “I respect my team and I also respect the other teams.”
The victory over the Mustangs made amends for a loss to the North County team in the West Coast Challenge tournament in late April.
Titans drop opening two games, fall in four to upset-minded Dons Fifth-seeded Cathedral Catholic downed second-seeded Eastlake in four games 25-21, 25-20, 21-25, 25-18 to win the Division I championship.
The first three games were highly competitive, with the Dons coming out on top to win two of them. The Titans (18-9) fought back to win the third game but fell behind early 7-1 in the fourth game, which Cathedral Catholic (13-18) won by seven points to emerge with the division title.
“It wasn’t the performance we were hoping from ourselves, but I’m proud or how far this team has come this year,” EHS coach Alex Garibay said. “It felt like we really made something happen with this group of guys.”
Garibay is a 2004 graduate of Eastlake, though he did not play on the Titan teams that advanced to the CIF finals in both 1999 and 2001. He called coaching at his alma mater “special.”
“I see these guys out on the court and it reminds me of when I was playing,” Garibay said. “To build a program and see it become successful is a special feeling.”
Top-seeded La Costa Canyon (29-7) defeated second-seeded La Jolla (34-6) to win the Open Division championship while top-seeded Classical Academy topped third-seeded Fallbrook to capture the Division III title.
State notepad
Diamond Ranch defeated Sylmar’s Triumph Charter 25-7, 25-13, 25-23 in Tuesday’s state regional quarterfinals.
Top-seeded Murrieta Valley (20-11) was scheduled to meet fourth-seeded Garden Grove (19-10) in Thursday’s other semifinal matchup.
The winners of both semifinal games advance to the regional championship game on Saturday at the home of the higher-seeded team.
La Costa Canyon (29-8) and La Jolla (36-7) both lost in Tuesday’s Division I state regional quarterfinals while Classical Academy (27-7) won 3-1 in upset fashion at Downey to advance to Thursday’s Division II semifinals.
