{"id":303919,"date":"2026-05-07T07:21:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T07:21:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/303919\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T07:21:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T07:21:21","slug":"st-anthony-boys-volleyball-wins-5-set-battle-with-western-christian-in-quarterfinals-press-telegram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/303919\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Anthony boys volleyball wins 5-set battle with Western Christian in quarterfinals \u2013 Press Telegram"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s players celebrate as they take down Western Christian in the CIF-SS Division 5 quarterfinals in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s Benji Bean (12) sets up the ball as the Saints take on Western Christian in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s Jack Furlow (5) returns the ball as the Saints take on Western Christian in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s Austin Luckey (15) tries to push the ball past Western Christians Mack Kurth (7) in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s Jack Furlow returns the serve as the Saints take on Western Christian in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

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St. Anthony\u2019s Jack Furlow (5) celebrates with his teammates as the Saints lead Western Christian in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s Griffin Bass (9) tries to hit the ball past Western Christians Jacob Bartholomew (10) in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"Western<\/p>\n

Western Christian\u2019s Mack Kurth (7) tries to block St. Anthonys Jack Furlows (5) hit in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s Jack Furlow (5) blocks the ball from Western Christians Mack Kurth (7) in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s Griffin Bass (9) looks to hit the ball past Western Christians Carter Doolittle (3) in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s Jack Furlow (5) tries to block Western Christians Carter Doolittles (3) hit in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s Noah Furlow (1) set the ball up as the Saints take on Western Christian in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

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St. Anthonys Benji Bean (12) tries to block the ball from Western Christians Michael Mapes (13) in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s Noah Furlow (1) tries to tap the ball past Western Christians Jacob Barthmolomew (10) in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"Western<\/p>\n

Western Christian\u2019s Mack Kurth (7) looks to hit the ball past St. Anthonys Noah Furlow (1) in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"Western<\/p>\n

Western Christian\u2019s Carter Doolittle (3) hits the ball around St. Anthonys Jack Futlow (5) in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s Griffin Bass (9) looks to hit the ball past Western Christians Jacob Bartholomew (10) in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s Eli Bell (22) hits one past Western Christians Michael Mapes (13) in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

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St. Anthony\u2019s players celebrate as they take down Western Christian in the CIF-SS Division 5 quarterfinals in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

LONG BEACH \u2014 The St. Anthony boys volleyball team needed to regroup quickly after losing a back-and-forth battle with Western Christian in the fourth set of its CIF-SS Division 5 quarterfinal Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

With the match tied and no room for a letdown, the Saints came back with a strong effort in the fifth set to finish the match and advance in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Led by junior Griffin Bass\u2019 28 kills, two of which came early in the final set, St. Anthony came away the victory, 25-18, 22-25, 25-19, 28-26, 15-7.<\/p>\n

\u201cPersonally, I can be honest, the nerves were getting (to me) a little bit, but I knew I could get the kills,\u201d Bass said. \u201cAs a team though, I\u2019m really proud of how we handled our energy and communication.\u201d<\/p>\n

St. Anthony head coach Jeremy Malazarte said his team knew it could count on Bass, who is 6-foot-6, in the high-pressure moments.<\/p>\n

\u201cBass is 6-6, not a lot of people could jump like that,\u201d Malazarte said. \u201cHe\u2019s definitely athletic, has good attitude, probably one of our hardest workers in the gym for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

St. Anthony will play at Bellflower in the Division 5 semifinals Saturday at 6 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know (Bellflower) is pretty solid and we\u2019re definitely watching film on them right now,\u201d Malazarte said. \u201cAs long as my team is mentally strong, we get a good first touch, we should be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Led by the play of Bass and senior Jack Furlow, the Saints cruised to win in the first set.<\/p>\n

Western Christian took a 13-6 lead in the second set.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony tied the score at 22-22 with Bass\u2019 10th kill of the game. But the Fighting Lancers closed out the set to win 25-22.<\/p>\n

Furlow\u2019s brother, Noah Furlow, tallied two kills and 10 assists in the third set as St. Anthony took a 2-1 lead.<\/p>\n

That set up an intense fourth set.<\/p>\n

The lead was traded six times in the set, and neither team led by more than three points.<\/p>\n

With a 25-24 advantage, the Saints were a point away from the win, but a kill from the Fighting Lancers\u2019 captain, Michael Mapes, kept the game going.<\/p>\n

Back-to-back scores from Mack Kurth and Mapes gave the set to Western Christian, 28-26.<\/p>\n

That momentum, though, didn\u2019t carry over into the fifth set. Instead, St. Anthony senior Austin Luckey\u2019s kill sparked a run that helped the home team grab the victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pressure got to the guys. It fell apart and we couldn\u2019t come back from there,\u201d Western Christian head coach Sean Yamamoto said.<\/p>\n

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