MANHATTAN BEACH — The Mira Costa boys volleyball team doesn’t typically have as much trouble at home as it did to start Saturday CIF State Division I SoCal Regional final against Huntington Beach.

The Oilers, who were shorthanded coming in due to an illness that sidelined middle blocker Nick Ganier, led by as many as nine early and appeared motivated to avenge two losses this season, including last week’s five-set affair in the CIF Southern Section Division I championship.

“I don’t think we were quite in gear yet,” Mustangs coach Greg Snyder said. “I don’t know why we wouldn’t be.”

Mira Costa, though, mounted a furious rally to avoid dropping its first set of the state tournament and proceeded to roll the rest of the way in a 26-24, 25-20, 25-16 sweep to advance to next week’s championship match.

The state championship will be the battle of top seeds against Archbishop Mitty (41-2) Friday at Fresno City College. The match is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

“It would mean everything just to be the first real California state champions,” Mira Costa middle blocker Alex Heins said. “That would be such a cool honor. We all want it so bad.”

The Mustangs (36-2) were led by 16 kills from senior outside hitter Cooper Keane. Senior opposite Grayson Bradford added seven kills to go with 5 1/ 2 of the team’s seven blocks.

Huntington Beach (36-5) led 17-8 at one point before a 5-1 Mira Costa spurt started the comeback.

“I don’t think we took any mental drops,” Bradford said. “We battled back from a point deficit in the first set and in the second set and the third set we just pushed even harder.”

Both Snyder and Oilers coach Craig Pazanti agreed that a first-set injury shortly after to Huntington Beach outside hitter Colin Choi played a big part in the momentum shift.

Choi, who returned in the second set and finished out the rest of the match, turned his left ankle after landing awkwardly following an errant swing that pulled the Mustangs within 21-18. Play briefly stopped as Choi was helped off the floor.

“(Choi) was passing the best on our team at that point,” Pazanti said.

Added Snyder: “Huntington came to play, they always do. Honestly, it was really unfortunate for them with Colin going down in that first set. Really switched the momentum.”

It was part of a 7-1 run that was capped by Mira Costa setter Andrew Chapin’s quick dump to give the team its first lead at 23-22.

The Oilers never reclaimed the lead, as Heins finished off the opening-set comeback with a block.

“We’re just bigger,” Heins said of the size discrepancy. “We’re taller than every team in the country, probably.

“For our seniors, this is the last time in this gym. We just wanted to have a really good game, go out with a bang, make it one to remember. I think we did that.”

Huntington Beach outside hitter Logan Hutnick recorded eight of his match-high 17 kills in the second set. Hutnick also teamed with Choi for a block for a 19-17 advantage.

Mira Costa, though, allowed just one Hutnick kill the rest of the set thanks to a strong block.

Bradford, who stands 6-foot-11, had four of his blocks in the set including set point to stake the Mustangs to the commanding 2-0 lead.

“(Hutnick) is a great hitter, and to go up against a 6-11 blocker isn’t probably what you want to sign up for,” Snyder said.

Huntington Beach never mounted a serious threat in the final set.

Keane, who had nine kills through two sets, was a consistent presence in every frame.

“When Cooper’s on, he is very capable of being the best player in the gym,” Snyder said.

Bernadeth Pons and Sisi Ronda during the PNVF Beach Volleyball National Open at Nuvali Sand Courts in Santa Rosa, Laguna.–CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons still proved to be the queens of the sands as they ruled the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) Beach Volleyball National Open with a five-game sweep.

Rondina and Pons, who had a two-year hiatus from the sport, completed a come-from-behind sweep of their Alas Pilipinas teammates, Sunny Villapando and Dij Rodriguez, 17-21, 21-16, 16-14, to capture the championship organized by Beach Volleyball Republic on Saturday night at Nuvali Sand Courts in City of Santa Rosa, Laguna.

READ: Rondina, Pons vow improvement after early exit in beach volley return

The pair, who won Southeast Asian Games beach volleyball bronze medals in 2019 and 2022, decided to return this year after emerging as MVPs in the PVL.

They hardly missed a beat as they won all five games and never conceded a set in the first four matches in the 12-team field

Rondina and Pons took down National University Nazareth School’s Faith Mangyao and Liezl Dejan, 21-11, 21-6, and University of the Philippines’ Euri Eslapor and Kassie Doering, 21-12, 21-15, in the pool stage.

The decorated duo also took down other Alas teammates in the playoffs, outlasting Jenny Gaviola and Alexa Polidario, 21-9, 21-12, in the quarterfinal and Sofiah Pagara and Khy Progella, 21-15, 21-19, in the semifinal. 

Villapando and Rodriguez reached the Final after sweeping National University’s Kizil Doren Quijote and Honey Grace Cordero, 21-13, 21-11, in the Final Four before settling for a runner-up finish.

READ: Bernadeth Pons reunites with Sisi Rondina for beach volley return

Meanwhile, Spikers’ Turf MVP Jude Garcia ruled the men’s division with his first-time partner James Buytrago, completing a five-game sweep.

Garcia and Buytrago and Jude Garcia outlasted the pair of Alas teammates Ronniel Rosales and Rancel Varga after the pair conceded in the second set of the Final.

The Garcia-Buytrago pair dominated the opening set, 21-14, and brought the momentum with a 9-5 start in the second set. However, Rosales suffered muscle cramps and couldn’t continue the game.

They beat University of the Philippines’ Christian Pitogo and Angelo Lipata, 21-16, 21-11, and Intra Asian Volleyballista’s Krung Arbasto and Dominique Gabito, 21-15, 21-14, in pool play.

In the playoffs, Buytrago and Garcia defeated College of Saint Benilde’s Mark Jun Garcia and Alvin Sulayman, 21-14, 21-15, in the quarterfinal, and fellow Alas Ranran Abdilla and Edwin Tolentino, 21-15, 21-17, in the semis.

READ: Sisi Ronda returns to beach volleyball for 2025 SEA Games

Rosales and Varga survived NUNS’ Alex Cabatuan and Sky Gemarino, 21-17, 20-22, 15-13, in their thrilling Final Four duel before crashing out in the second set of the final.

Pagara and Progella secured the women’s bronze medal after turning back Quijote and Cordero, 21-16, 22-20, while Abdilla and Tolentino completed the podium finishers in the 15-team men’s side

The Alas stars, led by coach Joao Luciano Kioda, also conducted a beach volleyball workshop, teaching over 60 participants last Friday.

The Sandroot program aims to reinforce, train and develop talents and skills. Running since BVR’s inception in 2015, the Sandroots program has supported local aspiring beach volleyball players during the BVR on Tour events.

KUCHING: National bowler Nur Hazirah Ramli made a strong debut on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour after finishing third at the 2025 United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Queens, a major championship held in the United States.

She came just two wins short of a dream tiara finish after a strong performance that carried her all the way to the stepladder finals on Monday (May 19), a surreal experience the 23-year-old debutant still treasures.

Competing against a world-class field in what is considered one of the toughest and most prestigious events in women’s bowling, the 2024 SUKMA gold medallist held her own and showcased her composure under pressure.

The semifinal match featured an all-Malaysian showdown, with Sin Li Jane going head-to-head against her teammate Nur Hazirah Ramli, who was making her debut in any professional event.

Two early opens by Sin in the first four frames gave Hazirah the lead, but Sin recovered with a stunning seven consecutive strikes to finish with 235.

Hazirah, despite a solid 211, was unable to keep pace and bowed out in third place — earning USD 22,500 for her efforts.

“It was my PWBA debut in the US, and what made it even more memorable,albeit more intense — was that it’s a major.

“Queens has always been known for its tough, high-scoring elimination format. The prize that awaits the champion is every woman’s childhood princess dream, being crowned queen and wearing the tiara,”Hazirah told Sarawak Tribune when contacted recently.

That fairytale, however, quickly gave way to reality as Hazirah was met with the intensity and depth of the international competition.

“I had to get past the cultural shock and the awe-struck butterflies quickly, or else it would have been a very short one-stop tour for me this year,” she said.

Recalling her journey, Hazirah credited her ability to reframe nerves into excitement , a lesson instilled in her from a young age.

“From young, we were taught to turn nervousness into excitement. Remembering my past efforts, the sacrifices, and everyone who supported and encouraged me , that helped me embrace the moment,” she said.

That mental clarity allowed her to focus on every throw, battle through the rounds, and fight all the way to the televised finals. Though her run ended just shy of a title shot, she called the experience “gratifying.”

“I was sad to be just two wins away, but making the TV finals in a major on my debut was a huge achievement for me. Till today, looking back at the journey that’s come to pass, it still feels surreal,” she added.

The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly is sponsored by Bryson Financial.

There may have been nerves for the Long Beach Poly softball team, but never a doubt.

The Jackrabbits fell behind early against Harvard-Westlake in the CIF-SS Division 4 semifinals and had to weather a strong five-run rally by the Wolverines in the seventh inning. But the Jackrabbits never lacked belief through all the adversity, hanging on for a 13-12 victory.

With the win, Poly punches its ticket to the CIF-SS championship game next weekend where they’ll face Warren on either Friday or Saturday. A CIF-SS title would mark the first in program history.

“You saw me burning my tread in the dugout like I usually do but I just knew,” said Poly coach Elizabeth Sanches of the win. “I knew and I trusted them. I forgot who it was, but someone told me in the dugout that they were nervous…I told them that I don’t want to hear that. It’s a game. Trust your experience, get out there and have fun.”

The Jackrabbits were with junior Ki’ele Ho-Ching who has been on and off the field while nursing an injury. The Oklahoma commit played as their designated-hitter and went 3-for-3 with a pair of home runs. Ho-Ching also finished the game with three RBIs and three runs of her own.

“I’m so grateful for such a supportive team and coaches who understand my situation,” she said. “I feel like I have such a great support system not just with them but with my family as well. It feels great to be back and help my team come out on top today.”

Ho-Ching’s first home run of the day sparked a response for Poly after they trailed 5-1 through two innings. After an Emoni Lam Sam single to open the third, Ho-Ching’s home run cut the lead to two. Janelle Morris then hit an RBI double before an Alayna Veavealagi sac-bunt. Sunnie Vaafuti hit an RBI single to close out the inning to put the Jackrabbits up 6-5—their first and final lead of the day.

“I started to see a few nerves because we’re not used to being behind in the playoffs, but I just reminded them that in the last three games we scored 26 runs,” said Sanches of her message ahead of the breakout inning. “A four run deficit is nothing. Of course we don’t want a four run deficit, but when it comes to trusting their bats and their ability to execute and do what it takes to score runs I have so much trust in them.”

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