After defeating Glastonbury, West Hartford’s Conard High School boys volleyball team brings their unbeaten record to the CCC finals.

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

Conard players celebrate the match winner Aidan Plamondon. Conard vs. Glastonbury boys volleyball. CCC semifinals. May 28, 2025. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

By Paul Palmer

Having a long win streak, in any sport, can be grueling. Everyone else is always looking to knock you off.

The Conard boys volleyball team has lived that life – as the hunted – all season long as the state’s only unbeaten volleyball team. “Everybody wants to beat us as we are the only undefeated team,” said Conard head coach Kerry Roller. “We’ll figure it out.”

Wednesday they were pushed to the limit in the CCC semifinals by Glastonbury, but dug deep to pull off the five-set win and move to 19-0.

Lucas Hartland (9) and Tyler Richards go for the block on Trevor Hoffman. Conard vs. Glastonbury boys volleyball. CCC semifinals. May 28, 2025. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

When the two teams met earlier this season, the Red Wolves won in straight sets. In fact, in the previous 18 matches they had lost just seven sets out of 59 played. But this is the post-season and that means Conard played on Tuesday, Wednesday, and with the win will play in the final on Thursday.

Rafael Ortiz at the net for the Red Wolves. Conard vs. Glastonbury boys volleyball. CCC semifinals. May 28, 2025. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

Fatigue is something that has to be put out of mind as focus and attention to detail have to be front and center. Things started out well for Conard in the first set as they went up by as many as four points and closed it out at 25-19. Aidan Plamondon and Henry Drolet were tough at the net, blocking multiple Guardians’ returns.

Aidan Plamondon goes for the winner in the first set. Conard vs. Glastonbury boys volleyball. CCC semifinals. May 28, 2025. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

The second set saw Glastonbury take a 4-2 lead, but Conard came back at 6-5 on a left-handed put away by Lucas Hartland. It stayed tight from there with each managing 3-point leads, only to see them slip away. Conard had a 3-point run to go up 16-10 and then later 18-11.

Then Glastonbury went on a huge run take the lead at 20-18. Two of the points came on blocks, another on a Conard violation, and Siddanth Nitin had a pair of kills as well. After regaining the serve, it was Hartland tying things at 20 and the Wolves went to 21-20 before Connor Payne’s block earned the point and the serve for Glastonbury. That ended at 23 each but Conard’s next serve went into the net, setting up the Guardians at set point and they took advantage when the Conard return went long and things were tied at 1-all.

Tyler Richards (13) and Rafael Ortiz set the block. Conard vs. Glastonbury boys volleyball. CCC semifinals. May 28, 2025. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

“We were struggling with the pressure of the playoffs,” said Conard senior Tristan McClay, who was strong at the net all day. “But we have so much teamwork that we always fight back.”

In the third set it was Glastonbury bringing the early momentum, but Conard dug deep to keep things close. Again, it was very tight with neither side managing to give more than a 2-point lead until the visitors went up 16-13 and eventually to 18-14. The Conard rally saw them come back to 17-18 before Shalva Jika’s kill ended that. Tied at 21, it was McClay with the put away for the Wolves, and later it was McClay with the return that was blocked out of bounds by Glastonbury to make it 24-22.

Tristan McClay has the winner for Conard. Conard vs. Glastonbury boys volleyball. CCC semifinals. May 28, 2025. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

Conard took the set 25-22 when a setup by Glastonbury hit the ceiling in the Conard gym and bounded away from the players.

“In the third set we finally relaxed and found a way to close it out,” McClay said.

Heading into the fourth set it was Conard with the chance to end the game. They opened on serve by going up 4-1, but Glastonbury fought back, winning seven straight points to make it an 8-4 lead for the Guardians. Serving at 9-5, Glastonbury benefitted from back-to-back returns out of bounds by Conard to go up 11-5. The Wolves picked up three points before losing serve and later finding themselves down four at 9-14.

Aidan Plamondon goes low for the serve. Conard vs. Glastonbury boys volleyball. CCC semifinals. May 28, 2025. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

Nitin again found the space and won the point and serve back for his team, and then it was a block from Maksym Balaban and then a kill by Shalva to go up 16-11.

The point of the set came at 14-16 for Conard when Jonah White went all out with a dive to get to a ball at the back of the area, then it was Hartland’s turn as he headed for the sidelines and kept the ball in play before McClay managed to hit a winner from midway back that fooled Glastonbury with its placement. One point later and things were tied at 16.

Rafael Ortiz beats the block. Conard vs. Glastonbury boys volleyball. CCC semifinals. May 28, 2025. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

The two sides went back and forth and White’s service got Conard up 20-19. On their serve it was Glastonbury storming back with four straight points before losing serve at 23-21. At match point it was Nitin once again beating the Conard block and tying things up at two sets apiece.

The junior let out a shout of excitement after the winner as he was being mobbed by his teammates. “We came out a little flat and it took us a while to get our energy going,” said Roller. “We just were not in rhythm.”

Aidan Plamondon goes for the winner in the first set. Conard vs. Glastonbury boys volleyball. CCC semifinals. May 28, 2025. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

Heading to the tie-breaking fifth set, Roller stressed one word to her players …”details.” On every timeout that was what she kept reminding her players to take care of.

Again, in the final set it was back and forth until the Wolves built a 5-1 lead before an attempt to block a Glastonbury shot knocked the ball out. The Guardians took a timeout and came out focused serving from down 1-5 to down 4-5 on Hoffman’s big left-handed return. McClay had the answer on the next point and won back the serve at 6-4 Conard. Another run for the Guardians and they had things tied at 7 before Plamondon came through with the winner.

Serving at 9-8, the Wolves picked up a point before giving the serve back. Alex Niland served for Glastonbury and at 9-10, his serve hit the tape and dribbled over, falling to the floor before any Conard player could get there to tie things at 10. His next serve went out and the Wolves were now 4 points away from the win at 11-10.

Glastonbury players including (12) Siddanth Nittin celebrate his 4th set winner. Conard vs. Glastonbury boys volleyball. CCC semifinals. May 28, 2025. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

Plamondon had a sparkling kill right down the line to go 12-10, but Conard’s next return hit the tape and went out of bounds giving the serve back to the visitors. Back and forth they went on serve until Plamondon put it away with a kill and the 15-12 final.

“They have a resiliency about them,” Roller said of her players. “When they get down there is a grit to them, they love the sport. At one point today one of our players told his teammates, ‘Let’s have fun’ and that settled them down,” she added.

Things will only get tougher for Conard as Thursday night they met once-beaten Maloney for the CCC title. It was Conard who beat Maloney back on May 12 to knock them from the ranks of the unbeaten.

After that it will be onto the State Tourney where they were a semifinalist in 2023.

McClay said there are two big things that have helped the team stay unbeaten. One is the camaraderie between the players, the other, he said, is the coaching staff. “We have three coaches that just complement each other so well.”

Coaches Kerry Roller and Don Colebrook shake hands before the match. Conard vs. Glastonbury boys volleyball. CCC semifinals. May 28, 2025. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

Game notes

• Wednesday’s win was number 305 for head coach Kerry Roller who is in her 28th season leading the boys team.
• Four members of the Conard squad were name to the All-Conference Team. There are only 14 players from around the CCC named to the list, so Red Wolves players captured nearly one-quarter of the spots. The players are: Tristan McClay, Rafael Ortiz, Aidan Plamondon ,and Lucas Hartland. All but Hartland are  seniors.

Lucas Hartland had an excellent game as Conard’s setter. Conard vs. Glastonbury boys volleyball. CCC semifinals. May 28, 2025. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

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POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – Two former Gauchos took home AVP silverware this past Memorial Day weekend, as Theo Brunner and Ryan Wilcox teamed up to win the 2025 Palm Beach Open.
 
The first AVP Contender event of the season, it was also the first time the duo have played together in any AVP competition. They proved to be a solid team, winning both of their pool play matches on Saturday morning to earn the No. 2 seed ahead of the single elimination playoffs. Then, with a 21-19, 21-19 round of 16 victory, they were through to Sunday’s quarterfinals.
 
The Gaucho legends stayed alive with a very tight 21-19, 18-21, 15-13 win in the quarters before a sweep (21-17, 21-18) of third-seeded Evan Cory and Caleb Kwekel to advance to the championship. Facing No. 9 Rowdy Lennon and Logan Mister, the teams traded the first two sets to force a decisive third set. After Brunner/Wilcox got out to a 9-8 lead, they rattled off six in a row crown themselves champions via a 21-18, 18-21, 15-8 victory.
 
Overall, the pair went undefeated playing six matches in two days in 90-degree Florida weather. With the championship win, they automatically receive a wild card berth to the prestigious Manhattan Beach Open beginning August 15.
 
Brunner, a middle blocker, was an AVCA First-Team All-American in 2007 and four-time All-MPSF selection from 2005-2008. Wilcox, an outside hitter, was the AVCA Newcomer of the Year in 2019, a four-time AVCA All-American Honorable Mention, and two-time All-Big West First Team selection playing 2019-2023.
 
Fans can watch a replay of the championship match on the AVP Beach Volleyball YouTube channel and find full tournament results at volleyballlife.com.
 

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas beach volleyball head coach Stein Metzger announced Thursday the promotion of Angie Akers to Associate Head Coach.

Akers, who is entering her third season with the Longhorns, was brought on as an assistant coach in 2023 to build the new program on the Forty Acres after a successful stint at LMU. In the first two seasons, Texas won its first-ever CCSA conference title and made it to the Elite Eight at the NCAA Tournament.

“I am thrilled to announce the promotion of Angie Akers to Associate Head Coach,” head coach Stein Metzger said. “She has been a true partner in building the program these last two years. Through it all, Angie has demonstrated exceptional leadership, dedication, and a deep commitment to the growth and success of our team.”

In two seasons, the Longhorns made a run in the postseason in its first season eligible for participation. Texas swept the CCSA tournament to win its first conference title and was led by the CCSA pair of the tournament in Katie Hashman and Emma Grace Roberton. The No. 2 pair also earned the first-ever AVCA Pair of the Week honors for the Longhorns and were the clinching court in Texas’s first-ever win at the NCAA Championships defeating Cal, 3-2.

“Angie consistently puts the student-athletes first and is always looking for ways to better teach and serve them,” Metzger said. “This promotion reflects the tremendous impact she has made and the respect she commands among players and staff alike. We look forward to the continued success and innovation Angie will bring in her new role.”

The Longhorns ended its second full season with a 28-10 record, earned the No. 7 seed at the NCAA tournament, picked up six CCSA All-tournament honors, eight CCSA All-Academic honors and one AVCA Top Flight pair honor.

Prior to her time on the Forty Acres, Akers coached two seasons at LMU as the Assistant Head Coach. The Lions won back-to-back West Coast Conference Championships and had runs in the NCAA tournament. Akers was the USA coach for April Ross and Alix Klineman who won gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The pair never dropped a set on their way to gold, including in the gold medal match against Australia. She began her international coaching career with the Dutch National teams from 2015-2020.

Akers played four years at Notre Dame, played on the AVP Tour from 2002-2013 and was named the 2022 AVP Rookie of the Year. She also took part in the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour from 2009-12 and was named the 2009 FIVB Rookie of the Year and was a member of the USA Beach National team from 2009-2012.

The club found success in the 2025 season, despite the loss of their usual practice spot

Image courtesy of Isabel Howie.

When UVic drained the McKinnon pool in September 2024, a number of different student clubs and groups were affected. 

Isabel Howie, head coach and president of the UVic Water Polo Club, was directly impacted by the closure. She told the Martlet she believes “UVic could’ve handled the closure better,” and that there was room for fundraising or donations to either repair McKinnon or build a new pool, but didn’t hear this option discussed by university. 

Howie said that multiple on-campus pools have closed across Canada recently.

“I don’t think that’s a good representation of the aquatic community, especially because the community is so large,” she said. “It’s not really fair to silence a whole community.” 

Without McKinnon, the UVic Water Polo Club faced problems with finding pool space and recruiting new members. They received help from a local water polo club, Saanich Water Polo School, that helped the team coordinate funding for pool space. Without the school’s help, Howie said, “we would not have been able to afford pool space.” 

Because of the assistance they received, the club was able to practice at Saanich Commonwealth Place (SCP), which is between a half-hour and hour-long bus ride from campus. Although lucky to have this pool space, the distance made it difficult for the team to keep members. 

Not only was it hard finding members who could commit to such a distance, but also, Howie said that she “went into it blind” at the start of the season, because she was unsure about the team’s plans without McKinnon. 

At Clubs & Course Union (CCU) Days in September 2024, Howie said she felt bad telling people to join the team when she couldn’t answer their questions regarding pool location and practice times. In previous years, she said, “It was a lot easier … to tell people we were at McKinnon, and to pop by if you want. People can’t just pop by when [the pool] is so far away.”

Despite the confusing start to the semester, Howie managed to quadruple the size of the water polo team. Last year, she said, the team had five members. This year, Howie recruited 15 new players, for a total of 20. Thanks to the higher number of players, and the team’s affiliation with Saanich Water Polo School, the team entered their first tournament in October.

Howie said that “[It] was a good opportunity for everyone to start playing and get a hang of the game. We played against some younger teams and some international teams.” 

There was room for the team to play in tournaments with SFU and UBC, Howie said, but doing so “would’ve cost a lot more … considering we would have to pay for hotels and stuff.” Still, the team succeeded in their first tournament and placed third overall.

The biggest struggle for the team, said Howie, was ensuring that they had enough members to run practices and attend tournaments. But she still found the experience highly rewarding, despite the difficulties.

“I was really happy to see the progress that people had made in such a short amount of time and to see so many people trying a new sport,” she said. 

Next year, Howie will resume her role as head coach and president of the team, and plans to train others to take her place for the following years. 

The closure of the McKinnon Pool has had a significant impact on clubs like UVic Water Polo Club, as well the Vikes swimming team and the UVic Whitewater Club. Howie said hopes issues regarding McKinnon’s closure can be resolved soon, stating “it would be awesome to see UVic dedicate more effort and money into building a new pool.” 

Until then, she has found two summer tournaments — one in July, and the other in August — for any interested players who want additional water polo experience. She told the Martlet she also aims to expand recruitment in the fall, and grow the team to include even more new players.

The California Interscholastic Federation will hold its inaugural boys volleyball state championship games Saturday at Fresno City College. A Metro Conference team will be involved in the history-making endeavor.

Mater Dei Catholic High School, the reigning Metro-South Bay League, San Diego Section Division III and Southern California Division IV regional champion across all three levels, will meet the Northern California regional champion Livingston Wolves (37-6) at 11 a.m.

The Crusaders (32-10) hope to add a state championship gold medal to their long list of achievements so far this season.

Temperatures are forecast to top the 100-degree mark in the Central Valley city this weekend, so on-court action should be hot as well.

Mater Dei Catholic head coach Marissa Ritchie said her team is deserving of the honor of playing in the Golden State’s first Division IV championship game.

“Our team owes this successful season to accountability, drive and discipline,” she said. “Our seniors have set this goal since their sophomore year, with motivation to get the job done. Every off-season they stayed working to make sure they came back stronger each season. The team will end this season knowing that hard work pays off.”

The Crusaders, seeded first in the Division IV SoCal bracket, qualified for Saturday’s state final after defeating seventh-seeded Los Angeles Wildwood, 3-1, last Saturday by scores of 25-22, 25-27, 25-13, 25-17 to capture the regional championship title.

Mater Dei Catholic opened the three-round regional playoffs with 3-0 sweeps of eighth-seeded California Academy of Math and Science (25-8, 25-19, 25-19) and fourth-seeded Brea Olinda (25-16, 25-21, 25-19).

The Crusaders carry a cumulative nine-match winning streak (6-0 in the playoffs) into Saturday’s state final.

Mater Dei Catholic, the No. 1 seed in the Division III section playoffs, finished 3-0 in the divisional playoffs with prior wins over eighth-seeded Calexico (23-7), 3-1, in the quarterfinals (25-15, 25-22, 23-25, 25-17), fifth-seeded The Cambridge School (18-9l, 3-0, in the semifinals and sixth-seeded Maranatha Christian (26-6), 3-1, in the championship round (25-22, 22-25, 25-20, 25-15).

The championship game was played May 16 at Mira Mesa High School. It marked the first time that both finalists had reached the championship round.

Mater Dei Catholic concluded league play with a 7-1 record to finish in a co-championship with Sweetwater, which also finished 7-1 in league play. Montgomery (4-4 in league), Mar Vista and Hilltop filled out the league standings.

Key players this season include senior setter Aaron Wood, senior outside hitter Oskar Manguy-Meza, senior outside hitter Liam Kingston and senior libero Ethan Bundang.

Manguy-Meza and junior Adrian Trevino keyed the Crusaders with 102 kills each while Wood tallied 22 serving aces, 92 digs and 435 assists, leading the team in the latter category. Bundag collected a team-high 149 digs while tacking on 18 serving aces.

Kingston recorded 83 kills in 41 sets played while Trevino also logged 18 aces.

Livingston defeated Oakland, 3-1, in the NorCal regional championship game, winning by scores of 26-24, 25-22, 19-25, 25-20. Three players finished with 19 kills for Livingston: juniors Gurvir Singh, Navjot Sekhon and Bradley Kaji.

Singh leads the Wolves on the season with 542 kills in 129 sets while junior Udayveer Dhadda has 56 serving aces, Kaji has 86 blocks, Dhadda has 213 digs and junior Shabadjot Kaloya has 702 assists.

Cougar country: San Ysidro wins Division V title

San Ysidro and Southwest co-captured this year’s Metro-Pacific League banner, each with 5-1 league records.

San Ysidro (24-10 overall), received the No. 2 seed in the Division V section playoffs and ran the table with three consecutive wins to claim the division title. The Cougars eliminated 10^th-seeded Imperial (8-23) in a 3-0 sweep in the quarterfinals (25-17, 25-14, 25-14), then edged third-seeded Crawford (19-8), 3-2, in the semifinals (25-23, 25-20, 19-25, 19-25, 15-7) to draw top-seeded Monte Vista, the Grossmont Valley League champion in the division final.

San Ysidro bested the Monarchs (23-13), 3-1, in four fiercely fought sets to win the championship (27-25, 24-26, 25-23, 25-19). Junior Gabriel Cariaga led the Cougars with 11 kills while junior Ryan Nance had 22 digs and senior Sebastian Castro had 38 assists. Sophomore Kenneth Roche contributed four serving aces and junior Jair Flores had seven blocks.

Season leaders for San Ysidro included Cariaga with 192 kills in 100 sets, Castro with 59 aces and 753 assists, Flores with 110 blocks and Nance with 510 digs.

Southwest received the No. 8 in the Division IV section playoffs but could not get past No. 9 El Capitan (22-14) in the opening round.

Chula Vista (2-4 in league, 12-24 overall) and Castle Park (0-6 in league, 3-15 overall) did not qualify for this year’s section playoffs.

Quick hits
Sweetwater received the No. 4 seed in the Division III section playoffs but ended its season prematurely with a 28-12 record following a 3-2 loss to The Cambridge School in the quarterfinals.

Season leaders for the Red Devils included senior J Brown with 459 kills in 112 sets played and 66 serving aces, junior Sergio Salazar with 125 blocks and 986 assists and senior Kalvin Arcedera with 407 digs.

Montgomery also qualified for the Division III playoffs. The Aztecs (14-19 overall) received the No. 12 seed and lost, 3-1, to The Cambridge School in the first round.

Season leaders for Montgomery included senior Diego Sandoval with 195 kills in 64 sets played, sophomore Elonso Enriquez with 33 serving aces, senior Ryken Lusby with 271 digs and senior Jafer Vazquez with 307 assists.

Mar Vista (6-26 overall) and Hilltop (8-22) both did not qualify for postseason competition.

Season leaders for Mar Vista included freshman Holden Bell (75 kills), junior Val Soriano (21 aces), senior Daniel Garcia (121 digs) and sophomore Sean Mathews (106 assists).

Eastlake (20-14 overall) emerged as this year’s Metro-Mesa League champion with a 6-0 record ahead of challengers Bonita Vista, Otay Ranch and Olympian.

Season leaders for Eastlake, which received the No. 4 seed in the Division I playoffs, included junior Sean Fleming (481 kills, 75 aces, 234 digs and senior Samuel Almendarez (234 digs, 451 assists). Sophomore Mason Little and junior Simon Greer tied with 62 blocks.

The Titans lost their opening quarterfinal match to fifth-seeded Del Norte (21-19) in a five-set thriller, 3-2, by a score of 21-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-15, 12-15.

Bonita Vista, the No. 9 seed in the Division I playoffs, upset No. 8 Sage Creek (16-21) in the opening round of the playoffs but ended its season with a 3-1 loss to top-seeded St. Augustine (21-12), the eventual division champion.

Otay Ranch, the No. 11 seed in the Division I playoffs, fell 3-1 to sixth-seeded Scripps Ranch (22-16) in the opening round. Season leaders for the Mustangs included senior Jnyneil Alivio with 227 kills, sophomore Royce Garcia with 39 serving aces and 506 assists, senior Zim Garcia with 44 blocks, senior Gavin Cosico with 301 digs and

Olympian (8-27 overall) finished at the bottom of the Metro-Mesa League standings and did not qualify for the CIF playoffs.

Victory Christian Academy (19-15), the third-place finisher in the Summit League, was seeded 10^th in the Division IV playoffs but shocked No. 7 Christian (19-13), 3-2, in five sets to advance to the quarterfinals. The Knights failed to advance further, however, following a 3-0 sweep against second-seeded High Tech high Mesa (16-13).

Season leaders for the Knights included senior Brad Chier (371 kills, 75 aces), junior Micah Gerdes (24 blocks), junior Stanmore Langford (356 digs) and senior Esteban Torres (823) assists).

CVLCC (13-11), the third-place finisher in the Patriot League, received the No. 5 seed in Division V-AA advanced to the championship game against third-seeded Tri-City Christian (15-12), falling in a 3-0 sweep. The Cobras defeated 12^th-seeded Escondido Adventist Academy (2-15), 3-0, in the opening round and eliminated fourth-seeded Mountain Empire (10-8), 3-0, in the quarterfinals. CVLCC swept eighth-seeded St. Joseph Academy (13-12), 3-0, in the division semifinals (25-21, 25-14, 25-17).

High Tech HIgh Chula Vista (17-15), the second-place finisher in the Pioneer League, received the No. 5 seed in the Division V bracket and ended its season in a 3-0 sweep against fourth-seeded Central Union (21-14).

Season leaders for HTH-CV included junior King California (251 kills, 125 digs), junior Bryson Diestro (55 aces, 122 digs, 330 assists) and sophomore Thomas Gomez (23 blocks).

SAN DIEGO SECTION DIVISION CHAMPIONS
Open Division: Carlsbad Lancers
Division I: St. Augustine Saints
Division II: Clairemont Chieftains
Division III: Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders
Division IV: Fallbrook Warriors
Division V: San Ysidro Cougars
Division V-AA: Tri-City Christian Eagles