The562’s coverage of high school volleyball in 2026 is brought to you by the MLP’s Bay Area Breakers.
The562’s football coverage for the 2026-27 school year is sponsored by Long Beach Poly alums Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
There are some moments in sports that words simply can’t do justice—Long Beach Poly’s CIF-SS championship on Saturday night was one of them.
Two years after winning a title on the same court, the Jackrabbits returned to Cerritos College for the Division 2 championship with a chance to do it all over again. But after a grueling five-set battle against Redondo Union, Poly found itself on the brink of defeat, trailing 14-12 in the final set with its championship hopes hanging by a thread.
Somehow, the Jackrabbits found a way to write the final chapter of an emotional night, rattling off four consecutive points to complete an improbable comeback and send a gymnasium packed with Poly fans into a frenzy with a 25-19, 20-25, 25-18, 23-25, 16-14 victory.
“It’s just the journey of it, man,” said an emotional Poly coach Gerald Aquiningoc after the match. “We’ve been in two championships in three years, and to be able to do it again with a lot of the same girls and end their senior year like that, it’s just special. It’s the most special feeling and I’m so proud of these girls. To reward themselves with this—they deserve it.”
There was still a sliver of hope for Poly after Redondo Union led for most of the fifth set and reached match point. With their season on the line, the Jackrabbits found a sideout on a kill from junior Avery Milburn before a block from McKennah Iamaleava and Alison Wetteland, followed by a lift violation, gave Poly match point. Milburn and Wetteland then came up with the championship-winning block, setting off an explosion of emotion on the court.
“I just saw Coach [Aquiningoc] on the sideline and knew I had to do whatever it took,” Milburn said. “I told myself that I had to go block this ball no matter what. I saw her approaching at an angle, and I just thought to press as hard as I could. I knew that could be it, and I wanted to do whatever it took.”
“I called timeout and I told them that it was a duck check time—either we’re about it or we’re not,” Aquiningoc said. “There were no more X’s and O’s, if we were going to do it we were going to do it, and we did it. I thought we let this one slip when it was 14-12, but when [Ceeka] Talaga went back to serve I knew we had a shot, and we made the plays in the biggest moments.”
Poly got the game of a lifetime from senior outside hitter McKennah Iamaleava, who finished with a preposterous 29 kills on .390 hitting, adding 15 digs and a pair of aces. The 29-kill mark was by far the highest of her career, coming in the biggest game of her life with dozens of family members in the stands.
“I don’t even know what to say—that’s crazy,” Iamaleava said when she heard about her new career high. “That’s all props to my setters and my passers because I wouldn’t be able to do it without them. All of my brothers and so much of my family came, and I knew I had to play good in front of them.”
The win marks the fourth CIF-SS title for Poly’s girls’ volleyball program and the school’s 135th CIF-SS championship overall, by far the most of any school. The victory also comes against a suitable opponent in Redondo Union, which Poly defeated in the 2010 CIF-SS Division 1AA championship before beating the Sea Hawks again later that year in the CIF State playoffs.
Poly outhit Redondo Union .242 to .224 and finished with 24 more kills than the Sea Hawks. Behind Iamaleava’s monstrous night, senior Aleeya Salima and junior Avery Milburn both finished with 18 kills. Mina Orbiso led Poly with 32 assists, while Ceeka Talaga added 20 digs and a match-high three aces, accounting for half of Poly’s six total.
The Jackrabbits only trailed on the first point of the opening set, later opening up a four-point lead that they held for most of the frame. Redondo Union made its strongest push through the middle of the set with a 5-1 run that brought the Sea Hawks within a pair at 20-18, but Iamaleava had four kills in the Jackrabbits’ final five points.
Iamaleava was off to an incredible start, finishing the opening set with eight kills on .889 hitting, to go along with seven digs and an ace. Fellow senior Aleeya Salima chipped in seven kills to help Poly outhit Redondo Union .316 to .135 in the frame.
The second set saw 10 ties, but it was Poly with its back against the wall for much of the frame. The Jackrabbits stayed within a pair of points for most of the set before the Sea Hawks took an 18-15 lead and began to pull away. Redondo Union was able to stay in system and feed Asofiafia So’oto, who had seven kills in the set to help the Sea Hawks close out a 25-20 win. So’oto finished with a team-high 17 kills on .186 hitting.
Poly then had its most dominant set of the match in the third, taking its first lead at 6-5 before never looking back. Iamaleava had another incredible set, adding nine kills to her total while hitting .615 in the frame. The Jackrabbits recorded half of their six total aces in the set and built the largest lead of the match at seven points to close out a 25-18 win.
Redondo Union led for most of the fourth set until an Iamaleava kill gave Poly its first lead at 19-18. The Jackrabbits then extended their lead to 22-20 thanks to a pair of errors from the Sea Hawks, but Redondo Union responded with a 5-1 run to close out the set, highlighted by a pair of huge block assists from Sienna Castillo.
Despite being the shortest set to just 15 points, the fifth had the most lead changes of the match with five, along with eight ties. The teams eventually found themselves knotted at 12-12 before the Sea Hawks scored two straight to earn match point, but Poly responded with its 4-0 run to claim an improbable championship.
“We talk about it all the time when it comes to overcoming adversity,” Aquiningoc said of that fifth. “Who are we? Are we going to be our best when our best is required? Tonight, it was required, and they did it. I’m just proud, man. I’m really proud.”
The win was all the more special for Aquiningoc during a tough time in his personal life, after the passing of his cousin last week at a nearby Hoag Hospital. After the match, Aquiningoc was emotional as he recalled a point in the fifth set when he saw a Hoag Hospital sponsorship table cloth over the media table, which reminded him of his cousin.
“It was 14-12, and I looked in my peripheral and saw that tablecloth,” he said with tears in his eyes. “I looked at it and just smiled. I thought, ‘Well, Andrew, I need you.’ I don’t even remember the last points after that, but we won. It’s just, just so special.”
Much like they did in 2024, fans, family, and friends packed the area outside the south side of the Cerritos College gym after the match to celebrate and embrace another championship moment. The Jackrabbits are hoping for more moments like it as they begin the CIF State playoffs on Tuesday, with the brackets set to be released tomorrow.