Long Beach Poly players celebrate their win in four sets over Wilson in the Moore League girls volleyball championship game on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly players celebrate their win in four sets over Wilson in the Moore League girls volleyball championship game on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly players celebrate their win in four sets over Wilson in the Moore League girls volleyball championship game on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly players celebrate their win in four sets over Wilson in the Moore League girls volleyball championship game on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly players celebrate their win in four sets over Wilson in the Moore League girls volleyball championship game on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly players celebrate their win in four sets over Wilson in the Moore League girls volleyball championship game on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
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Long Beach Poly players celebrate their win in four sets over Wilson in the Moore League girls volleyball championship game on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
LONG BEACH — Coach Gerald Aquiningoc tells his Long Beach girls volleyball team that adversity is important for experience.
With the CIF Southern Section playoffs right around the corner, rival Wilson provided plenty of it Tuesday night with the Moore League title at stake.
The Jackrabbits dropped the opening set before recovering for a four-set victory, 23-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-18, in a mostly back-and-forth affair to win the league title outright.
“This is championship atmosphere,” Aquiningoc said. “For us to be able to overcome in an away gym, to win a championship you have to win on the road.”
Poly (25-9, 12-0) finished unbeaten in the Moore League for a second consecutive season and claimed its third straight league title overall.
Wilson (23-13, 10-2) finished as the league runner-up for a fifth consecutive season.
Jackrabbits outside hitter McKenna Iamaleava led all players with 21 kills, and opposite hitter Aleeya Salima was critical down the stretch and collected 14.
For Iamaleava, it was her first contribution to a league title after sitting out last season after her transfer from Warren High School was denied.
“Our coach always says you gotta go through adversity to really get that experience,” Iamaleava said. “Heading into CIF, obviously, we need to go through that. The first set was a little shaky, we weren’t at our best, but then we came through in four. So, I think we still played really good.
“We have so much potential on this team. We’re still not even at our best.”
The Bruins rode the emotions of senior night and a raucous atmosphere to open the match and claim the first set. It was a huge response after being swept at Poly last month.
The Jackrabbits were whistled for four violations at the next in what would be a recurring theme throughout the contest.
Aquiningoc, though, never changed his emotions on the sideline as his team went through a gamut of them.
“If I feel frantic or if I feel like I’m pressing, I think they’ll press,” Aquiningoc said. “They know that everything is going to be OK. I think they really feed off of the energy, and I want to make sure that I’m always even keel.”
The set was tied on 14 occasions, including last at 23-23, before a Poly service error and attack error into the net produced the final two points.
Over the four sets, the match was tied a combined 39 times. A big reason was a Wilson front line that produced nine blocks — all through the first three sets.
“We kept running the middle throughout practice,” Bruins coach Gersain Pineda said. “We’re really pin-heavy, so I wanted to do something different.”
Bruins middle blocker Sadie Calderon contributed four blocks to go with four kills through two kills before being silenced over the final two sets.
“Playing Poly, it’s always an emotional game,” Calderon said. “It gives us a lot of confidence since we’re the underdog when we play Poly.
“Especially me, since I’m the heart of the block every single time, just trying to get a good touch because they do swing really hard.”
After tying the match at a set apiece, the Jackrabbits won the pivotal third set after Salima came alive late in the frame.
Trailing 20-15, Poly reeled off six of the next seven points to tie the set.
Still tied 23-23, Salima followed a Wilson swing off the antennae with a kill. Her Jackrabbits teammates mobbed her with chest bumps as she let out an emotional yell.
“It felt like we were competing every moment,” Salima said. “We kind of just gathered ourselves and told each other that if you’re not playing for yourself, play for each other, play for your sisters. This is a sisterhood, and I think we executed that really well.
“Execution was our biggest key. Obviously, the environment is really loud, and we adjusted to that.”
SET 3: Poly 25, Wilson 23
Jackrabbits claim the last two points, including Aleeya Salima’s swing to go up 2-1 in the match @BeachVarsity @johnwdavis pic.twitter.com/9Nq0S3lLCN
— Tracy McDannald 📎 (@Tracy_McDannald) October 15, 2025
Wilson outside hitter Simrin Adams, who finished with a team-high 14 kills, traded swings with Iamaleava en route to a 15-15 tie in the fourth set.
Another kill from Iamaleava ignited a 5-0 run and Poly never relinquished the lead.
Salima contributed three kills and a block in the final set.
“I’m really proud of her,” Iamaleava said. “I feel like this is her breakthrough game.”
An ace from Jackrabbits outside hitter Cika Talaga, the last of her five and team’s 12 clinched the match and the league title. Poly had half of its service aces in the final set.
Players and coaches alike on both sides agreed that the match was a proper tune-up for next week’s playoffs.
The playoff pairings will be announced Saturday at 9 a.m.
“They executed defense, blocking, hitting,” Pineda said. “Balls that were dropping, we see one of our girls diving.”
Added Salima: “It’s super beneficial for us because…it’s just a confidence-booster, honestly.”