LONG BEACH – Simone Millsap can still recall the days when the members of the Long Beach Poly beach volleyball team were writing jersey numbers on their own shirts ahead of matches.
Not only did the Jackrabbits arrive Saturday at Long Beach City College all outfitted with custom uniforms, they all left wearing matching championship T-shirts following a 3-2 victory against Anaheim Canyon in the inaugural CIF-Southern Section Division 3 final.
It was the fourth consecutive 3-2 triumph in the playoffs, and the sixth win by that margin this season for Long Beach Poly (9-6).
Perhaps it was only fitting that Millsap, the lone senior competing Saturday in the Long Beach Poly lineup, contributed to the deciding point for the Jackrabbits, who secured their first team title following a third-place finish in the Moore League.
Long Beach Poly girls beach volleyball team wins inaugural CIF-Southern Section Division 3 title | Erik Boal photo
Alyssa Luna, a sophomore, and Millsap fought off a championship point and outlasted Anaheim Canyon’s Erin Ly and Hannah Hoang 23-21, 16-21, 17-15 at the No. 4 pairing for Long Beach Poly, who won the first Division 3 championship after being eliminated in a Division 2 wild-card match last season.
After relinquishing a 14-12 advantage, with Ly and Hoang producing three consecutive points, Millsap saved Long Beach Poly’s season with a desperation swing of her right arm to pop the ball up and keep it in play, allowing the Jackrabbits to pull even at 15-15, before securing the victory and the title.
The final points were so dramatic that Moore League rivals Long Beach Wilson and Long Beach Millikan – who squared off immediately following the match’s conclusion in the Division 2 final – paused their warmups to provide support for Luna and Millsap in the deciding third set.
Londyn Foster, one of the five freshmen competing Saturday for Long Beach Poly, and sophomore Aleeya Salima rallied for a 13-21, 21-17, 15-11 triumph against Ellie Nguyen and Jordyn Roberts at the No. 1 pairing for the Jackrabbits.
Lauren Foster, a junior, and sophomore Taimane Poe earned a 21-12, 21-11 victory for Long Beach Poly at the No. 3 pairing against Kedzie Kranz and Remington Glenn to give the Jackrabbits the first point of the final.
Long Beach Poly girls beach volleyball team captures first CIF-Southern Section Division 3 crown | Erik Boal photo
Anaheim Canyon then tied the score following a 21-11, 21-13 triumph at the No. 2 pairing by Kendall Vanderplow and Rylie White against freshmen Giselle Millsap and Dayna Lagafuaina.
The Comanches had sophomores London Kenyon and Emma Vesa prevail by a 21-17, 21-13 margin at the No. 5 pairing against freshmen Vivienne Irwin and Finley Stuart to secure a 2-1 advantage.
Anaheim Canyon (15-9), which needed a third-place tiebreaker in the Crestview League just to qualify for the playoffs, reached the division final in the program’s first season.
Long Beach Poly reached the Division 2 quarterfinals in 2023, but became the first Moore League program to secure a beach volleyball crown, with Long Beach Wilson joining the group later Saturday following a 3-2 victory against Long Beach Millikan in the Division 2 championship.