It’s hard to define a season, particularly one that ends in a team’s last possible contest.

It’s just as hard to pick one moment in time that defines a championship match.

But being down 15-12 in the fourth set of Saturday’s CIF State Division 4 Boys Volleyball Championship, there’s little doubt the Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders will remember the following eight minutes for the rest of their lives.

The Crusaders went on a run for the ages, scoring 13 of the set’s next 14 points to earn a 25-18, 25-19, 20-25, 25-16 win over Livingston at Fresno City College in California’s first-ever state championship for the sport.

“I knew they wanted it just as bad as I did,” coach Marissa Ritchie said. “It’s very hard to coach a team with this dynamic and wanting it. I didn’t have to beg them to come to practice. They had to beg me basically. Open gyms, early mornings, they wanted this. Our goal was CIF, and we did so much more. This is them that they wanted this so bad.”

After winning back-to-back section titles, the goal for Mater Dei Catholic (33-10) became to hang its 12th state championship banner in Bosco Gym. It took a legion of mostly senior leaders to refocus the goal.

Senior outside hitter Oskar Manguy-Meza once again led the way with 14 kills, three aces and two stuff blocks. His kill on a D ball in transition tied the fourth set at 15-15 and marked the fifth spot on the court in which he recorded a kill.

“Watching their offense made me a little nervous at the start, but I had confidence in our back row defense since I know all the practices we’ve done on digging and out-of-system setting,” Manguy-Meza said. “I felt like the confidence we had in each other didn’t bother me as much since they had an athletic offense.”

Senior libero Ethan Bundang had 15 digs to lead the defensive effort.

Senior setter Aaron Wood went to his middles often against the Wolves (37-7), resulting in junior Derek Jacobo finishing second on the team with 10 kills while adding four stuff blocks.

Jacobo and senior Reagan Nicanor combined for five kills in set one as Wood set the middle often in a dominant win. Jacobo’s stuff block on match point ended it.

“Once we started to get that run toward the end, I felt really confident,” Jacobo said. “We just wanted to keep going. We just wanted to finish it. I was just so into that moment like, I want to finish this right now.”

Manguy-Meza and Jacobo combined on a stuff block for a 14-9 lead in the second set. They built a 22-15 lead, then took advantage of several Livingston errors to close it out.

Mater Dei Catholic couldn’t close in the third set. Senior outside hitter Liam Kingston (seven kills) put a ball away to close the gap to five but it wasn’t enough.

That set up the fourth. The Crusaders played from behind and appeared headed to a fifth until the heroics. Some of the highlights after Manguy-Meza’s D kill: two kills by Wood, stuff blocks by Wood and Jacobo, a kill by Jacobo, a rally-ending kill by Kingston and two back-row kills from junior Adrian Trevino, including an improbable roll shot to the deep corner.

The final eight points came with junior Alfredo Ceballos serving.

Championships are won with big plays at big moments but are built through hours of practices and competing. A process essentially two full years in the making — and whittled down to eight minutes — can now finish with a state title.

“We set our goal at the start of the season just to win the San Diego Section,” Kingston said. “Once we saw the brackets came out and saw the No. 1 seed, we had to get to work. We prepared in every way possible. This is an incredible experience.”

Originally Published: May 31, 2025 at 3:30 PM PDT

An 18-year-old Massachusetts high school student, described by his volleyball coach as an “exceptional citizen” who “makes other people smile,” was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on Saturday morning.

The news has left the Milford community feeling “helpless,” according to the teen’s volleyball coach.

The student, a junior who excels in both sports and music at Milford High School, was on his way to volleyball practice with his teammates when their car was pulled over.

Andrew Mainini, the school’s boy’s volleyball coach, said he received a text sometime before 8:30 a.m. from a student who witnessed the detention. According to the coach, ICE agents released two other students who were in the car, stating they were minors.

“I was sitting there thinking, ‘This can’t be happening,'” Mainini said. “I’m a person who watches a decent amount of news and it’s one thing to see things happening in the world. It’s another to have them directly impact the people you work with and care for on a daily basis.”

Milford Police Chief Robert Tusino confirmed over the phone Saturday night that he is aware of the teen’s detention by immigration officials. He said he is looking into the matter, but his department was not involved in the operation. 

Immigration agents’ legal authority depends on the type of warrant they are executing and where they are executing it.

Milford Superintendent Kevin McIntyre confirmed in a statement to NBC10 Boston on Sunday that an 18-year-old high school student was detained by ICE agents off campus this weekend.

According to the superintendent, a number of parents have been detained by ICE in recent weeks, as well.

“We are all distraught by this news,” McIntyre said, adding that Milford Public Schools plays no part in immigration enforcement and supports all students and their families, including those who are immigrants.

“They are members of the community, students in our classrooms, athletes that compete representing Milford, musicians, artists, friends and neighbors,” the superintendent continued. “We will do everything in our power to support our students and families during these difficult times.”

Attempts to reach ICE officials for comment have been unsuccessful. In response to the detention, a peaceful protest is planned for noon Sunday at Town Hall.

Natalia Cabralez passes the ball toward a teammate during a district volleyball contest last season. (Photo by Pete Luna|Leader-News)

The Uvalde Lobos did not enjoy a lot of success in volleyball last season.

But with a big majority of players from last year’s varsity team returning, Coach Debra Martinez is confident that the Lobos can stage a turnaround in 2025.

“We graduated a lot of seniors from the previous year and began last season with a young volleyball team in terms of age and experience,” said Coach Martinez. “We started out with only four returning varsity players.”

The Lobos won only five out of their 31 matches, including only one District 27-4A match. Their lone district win was a thrilling 25-19, 25-21, 20-25, 22-25, and 16-14 victory over the Pearsall Mavericks on Sept. 20 in Harvey Kinchlow Gym.

“We had a young team playing in a tough district race. Our girls were challenged on trust and team bonding. We tried to close the gaps as the season went along,” said Martinez. “We played a lot of young players, who gained a lot of experience. We hope to build on that as we begin this new volleyball season.”

Coach Martinez returns nine of the 13 players from last year’s varsity and hopes to gain some help from other young players, including a strong incoming freshman class.

“Our expectations will be higher,” said Martinez. “We will work for team accountability. We hope to set the tone from the first day of practice. Team unity is a priority. If we focus on these things, we can be successful.”

Aug. 1 is the date for the first official practice session of the season for the 2025 Lobos.

But Martinez hopes that the Lobos will take advantage of an open gym this summer to work on their volleyball skills.

“Open gym begins on June 2, from 4 to 6 p.m., while the strength and conditioning program will run from 6 to 8 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays,” said Martinez. “Our two-a-day practices will start at 6 to 8 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. on Aug. 1.”

The Lobos will begin regular-season competition on Aug. 12 at Lytle. The 2025 season home opener is set for Aug. 26 when the Uvalde girls will host San Antonio Kennedy.

Prior to the Kennedy match, the Lobos will take part in the Hondo tournament and the Floresville tournament. Other pre-district opponents will include San Antonio Western Hills, Utopia, and Charlotte.

District 27-4A action will begin for the Lobos on Sept. 9 at Pleasanton.

They will play at Devine on Sept. 12, before making their district home debut against Somerset on Sept. 16 in Kinchlow Gym.

Floresville, Devine, Somerset, and Carrizo Springs were the top four teams in district volleyball last season. They appear to be the teams to beat against in 2025.

“I am confident that if we focus and change for the better, we are going to compete and put Uvalde High School back on the volleyball map.”

KUCHING: The Sarawak Government will not allow the ongoing leadership crisis within the Sarawak Badminton Association (SBA) to impede the sport’s development.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said his ministry is actively working to resolve the internal dispute, which has escalated to the courts, and is prepared to implement a contingency plan should the situation fail to improve.

“If things do not proceed as we hope, and if badminton is affected and we are unable to develop the sport due to the internal problems among members, then we will activate a contingency plan to resolve the issue and start afresh,” he explained.

He said this when met during his visit to the Sarawak International Youth Football Championship 2025 (SIYFC25) held at Sarawak Stadium today.

Abdul Karim added that the ministry’s main approach for now is to encourage dialogue among all parties involved in SBA to reach an internal resolution.

“The best way to solve this problem is to sit down together and try to find a good solution. That is what I am trying to do,” he said.

He also acknowledged that the association’s internal crisis could disrupt athlete development, training programmes, and efforts to nurture new talent in badminton across Sarawak.

The SBA crisis reportedly began last year following a split among top committee members, which eventually led to legal proceedings.

Commenting further, Abdul Karim stressed that the state government does not want internal disputes to jeopardise the future of athletes or the sports industry as a whole.

It’s a three-peat for EJ Obiena!

The Filipino pole vaulter took home his third straight gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships on May 31 in Gumi, South Korea.

Obiena bested China’s Huang Bokai in a jump-off as the two were tied at 5.72 meters.

In the tie-breaker, only the 29-year-old Filipino was able to clear the 5.77m jump, successfully retaining his gold in his first attempt.

Bokai earned silver while Thailand’s Patsapong Amsamarng took home bronze with a clearance of 5.62m.

After the event, EJ shared a selfie with Bokai and Amsamarng at the podium with their medals.

“Three-peat Asian Champion!!!” he captioned.

Another Filipino, Hikett delos Santos, finished 13th among the 15 pole vault finalists. He was able to clear 4.97m.

Obiena is the world’s No. 4 in men’s pole vault. He placed fourth at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Earlier this year, he was named Athlete of the Year by the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association.

The pole vaulter holds the Asian record, 6.00m, which he cleared at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

He won his first gold at the Asian Championships in 2019 in Doha, Qatar, and his second in 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. In his 2023 run, he achieved a 5.91m jump.

At NCAA regional track and field meets, the high jump ends when the field is narrowed to 12 athletes.