HUNTINGTON BEACH – The members of the Huntington Beach High boys volleyball team made it clear from the moment the final ball dropped May 16 in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 championship match, the Oilers were determined to earn a rematch with the top-ranked team in the country Mira Costa.
Huntington Beach didn’t get caught looking past Redondo Union in the Southern California Regional quarterfinals Tuesday in the Division 1 state playoffs and Sunset League rival Corona del Mar received the same respect and focus Thursday night from the host Oilers.
Despite a brief lapse at the end of the opening set, second-seed Huntington Beach prevailed against No. 6 Corona del Mar for the third time this season with a 23-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-21 victory, completing an unbeaten home schedule at Elmer Combs Gymnasium.
The Oilers (36-4), who suffered a five-set loss to the Mustangs (33-2) in the section championship at Cerritos College, advanced to their first regional final since 2021 and will play Saturday at Mira Costa for the opportunity to compete in the inaugural Division 1 state title match May 31 at Fresno City College.
The Huntington Beach seniors earned another opportunity against top-ranked Mira Costa in the Southern California Regional final in the Division 1 boys volleyball state playoffs | Photo courtesy of Huntington Beach
The Mustangs achieved a 25-17, 25-12, 25-14 triumph against No. 5 Newport Harbor (27-12) to reach their second straight Division 1 regional final after being swept in last year’s championship match by Loyola.
Huntington Beach – ranked No. 3 nationally – not only prevailed against Corona del Mar in the regional playoffs for the first time in program history, but also atoned for a five-set loss to the visiting Sea Kings (25-7) in the Division 1 regional quarterfinals last year at Elmer Combs Gymnasium.
The Oilers, who also won the league showdowns March 6 and April 2 against Corona del Mar, secured three victories in a season against the Sea Kings for the first time since the regional playoffs were introduced in 2009.
Huntington Beach was unable to protect a four-point lead in the opening set, with the Sea Kings scoring eight of the next nine points to grab a 20-17 advantage.
After Brady Gant gave Corona del Mar a 24-21 lead following one of his nine kills, the Sea Kings couldn’t capitalize on consecutive set points with a missed serve and a hitting error. But Huntington Beach was unable to pull even, as its next serve landed in the net to give Corona del Mar the early advantage.
Huntington Beach responded in the second set by building a five-point lead, before the Sea Kings rallied again to tie the score at 19-19.
Ben Arguello had three kills and fellow junior Colin Choi added another kill for the Oilers to secure a 24-21 advantage, before Huntington Beach endured another untimely missed serve.
Nick Ganier finally helped the Oilers close it out following a quick attack in the middle to pull even.
Huntington Beach fed off the momentum to earn a wire-to-wire victory in the third, with senior setter Kai Gan – who collected 53 assists in his final career home match for the Oilers – spreading the ball around to sophomore Logan Hutnick, juniors Arguello and Choi, in addition to seniors Justin Bulsombut and Ganier.
Despite Huntington Beach establishing a seven-point lead on four occasions in the fourth set, Corona del Mar mounted one final surge to fight off three match points, before Choi’s cross-court shot helped the Oilers secure their fifth appearance in a regional final in program history.
Huntington Beach finished unbeaten in home matches at Elmer Combs Gymnasium this season | Photo courtesy of Huntington Beach
Arguello led Huntington Beach with a match-high 18 kills, Hutnick added 15 kills and 13 digs, Choi contributed 15 kills and eight digs, with Ganier recording seven kills and four blocks, Bulsombut producing four kills and four blocks, and Aiden Atencio collecting 13 digs.
With junior outside hitter Ben Brown unable to compete for Corona del Mar as a result of a sprained ankle, Hunter Hannemann led the Sea Kings with 12 kills and Brogan Glenn had seven kills and 10 digs.
Drake Foley added 33 assists, with Daniel Booker recording four blocks for Corona del Mar, which was attempting to advance to its first regional final since 2018 and earn the seventh appearance in program history.
Corona del Mar fell to Sunset League rival Huntington Beach for the third time this year | Photo courtesy of Corona del Mar
Huntington Beach and Mira Costa will square off for the third time this season, with the Mustangs also producing a 25-23, 25-23 victory Feb. 22 in the final of their own shared tournament with Redondo Union. It will mark their first matchup in a regional championship match.
Mira Costa is making its seventh trip to a regional final, seeking a fourth championship and the first for the program since the Division 1 crown in 2021. The Mustangs have won seven consecutive matchups against the Oilers since 2019.
Huntington Beach won three consecutive Division 1 regional titles from 2013-15 and added a Division 2 regional championship in 2021.