Mira Costa boys volleyball wins CIF State Division I championship

The Mira Costa boys volleyball team added another piece of history to their program.

The Mustangs, who had already won the CIF-SS and SoCal Regional Division I titles, ended their championship season, sweeping Archbishop Mitty 25-14, 25-16, 25-21 Saturday at Fresno City College in the inaugural state championship.

“It means a lot, for me personally and the program,” Mira Costa coach Greg Snyder said of winning the state final. “Mike Cook was coach (at Mira Costa) when I played and to do this with him (on the coaching) and this team, means a lot.

“We fell short last year and they were hungry this year.”

The Mustangs finished the season 37-2. After losing a five-set match against Marist (April 5), the Mustangs won their final 10 matches, losing just two sets. Those two sets came in the CIF-SS final against Huntington Beach. The Mustangs won that match in five sets. The loss to Marist was the only one for the Mustangs in the best three-of-five format. The other loss came against Loyola in the best-two-of-three tournament format.

“They were confident the whole season,” Snyder said.

The final stop on the long season started Saturday morning, leaving Manhattan Beach early in the morning for the trip to Fresno. After a long lunch, the Mustangs started to focus on in their final goal.

Their dominance continued, with their depth, again leading the way. Alex Heins, who Snyder said had “an incredible playoff run” led the way with 10 kills on 12 attempts. Thatcher Fahlbusch had nine. Mateo Fuerbringer and Grayson Bradford finished with eight kill each. Bradford also had six blocks.

“After losing to Marist and after the loss of their friend (Loyola tennis player Braun Levi), this group really turned a corner and focused on their goals,” Snyder said. “They played great volleyball and kicked it into another gear. They were too deep, too good, too skilled …it was a great run.”