State top 25…a closer look
The first top 25 CIF State ranking, called “The List,” was published yesterday and can be found here -- https://cifstate.org/sports/boys_volleyball/notebook/list.
The next rankings release, on April 3, will also include three region rankings (North, Central, South).
In this Notebook, we take a brief look at many of the teams making up the state’s current top 25.
From the moment No. 1 Mira Costa lost to Loyola in the Southern California Division I Regional Championships last year, it was assumed that the Mustangs would be the best team for 2025, despite graduating OH Victor Loiola, defenders Zach Chapin and Johnny Dykstra, and setter Jett Batthurst. Coach Greg Snyder’s team returned 6-7 senior pin Cooper Keane, a USC commit; 6-3 senior setter Andrew Chapin; also a USC commit; 6-4 sophomore OH Mateo Fuerbringer (great genes!), MBs Alex Heins and Akea Gealon and OH Thatcher Fahlbusch. Add Crespi transfer Grayson Bradford, a 6-11 opposite committed to UCLA and it becomes apparent that the physicality of this team will be unmatched. Only ball control and serving consistency can hold this team down. Mira Costa has started 19-1. It has the chance to avenge its only loss – to No. 3 Loyola in the finals of the Best of the West – tonight at Loyola, the site of its regional loss.
No. 2 Huntington Beach has started 18-2, losing to Costa and splitting with No. 3 Loyola. The Oilers are a deep and experienced team, led by 6-4 senior setter Kai Gan, a Harvard pledge; and 6-5 sophomore OH Logan Hutnick, one of the best youngsters in SoCal. The team also returns starting libero Aiden Atencio, a senior; and has eight quality options on the front row in addition to Hutnick.
No. 3 Loyola won its record sixth Southern California Regional title last year. The Cubs graduated the nation’s best player, 6-7 OH Sean Kelly; setter Parker Schloss and All-CIF opposite Emmett Martin, but Michael Boehle teams are always good. They would have been No. 1 in our rankings, having beaten Mira Costa to capture the Best of the West, but for an upset loss to Santa Margarita Catholic. Look for Loyola to be strong on the pins, with Simon Capps, Blake Fahlbusch and, when healthy, Lucas Posell. Loyola also returns defenders John Gosser and Matthew Kelly and 6-4 middle Kai Klein. How quickly Loyola develops two new setters may determine how far they can go come playoff time.
No. 4 Corona Del Mar lost to Loyola in the Regional semifinals a year ago. The Sea Kings have started 10-4 this year against a challenging schedule, and appear on track to being a contender once again in the Southern Section despite graduating two studs, OH Sterling Foley and setter Ryan Gant. Senior Brogan Glenn, a UCLA-bound senior libero; returns to anchor the back row. Up front, key players are 6-8 sophomore middle Daniel Book, junior opposite Brady Gant and 6-5 junior OH Ben Brown, a transfer from Chicago. The level of success for Katey Thompson’s team may rest on how quickly junior Drake Foley is able to transition from the back row to the setter position.
No. 5 Redondo Union won its first Southern California Regional Championship last year, rallying to defeat St. Margaret’s in Div. II. Many of the key contributors from that team are back, including athletic setter Shane Friedman, MB Bobby Bennett, outsides Cash Essert and Carter Mirabel, and pin/libero Drew Blair.
No. 6 Carlsbad may be the favorite to win the San Diego Section this year despite the graduation of 7-1 Parker Tomkinson, who is starring at USC. That’s because the team brings back two exceptional middles, 7-0 Roman Payne (Hawaii) and 6-6 Oliver Dotty (Harvard), as well as 6-3 senior OH Derek Bashford and talented junior setter Ben Sauerwine. The Lancers started the year 16-2 and was poised to be No. 2 in our initial rankings, before a Wednesday loss to Poway knocked them down a few pegs.
No. 7 San Clemente is built around OH Jack Loper, last year’s South Coast League MVP. The Tritons have a smart senior setter in Jettie Presho, offensive threats to complement Loper in sophomore Cameron Kosolcharoen and newcomer Hadley Corbridge, a transfer from Oak Ridge. Arrowhead Christian Gavin Skipper is the new libero.
No. 8 Torrey Pines won the San Diego Section Open title last year and reached the Regional semifinals in Div. I. The Falcons graduated the Section’s best player in OH Christian Connell as well as setters Jake Morley and Brandon Pho. The team is off to a 13-2 start behind the hitting of pins Ben Soudak and Declan Ferguson, strong play in the middle from Bjorn Hawe and the steady defense of sophomore Griffin Dieter.
No. 9 Beckman won its league for the fifth straight time last year and reached the Southern Section semifinals before losing to Redondo. Coach Darin McBain’s team graduated only a three-rotation setter, making expectations high for the Patriots. Lue Morrison, a 6-4 senior opposite headed to Stanford, is the team’s top player, but there is a ton of experience on the court with him, like outsides Gavin Looney and Jack Frame, libero Robert Linker, setter Josiah Suhr and MB Dimitri Perez. Keep an eye on 6-6 sophomore opposite Sam Hansen. McBain said that he is too good not to be part of the game plan. Beckman started 15-0, but is 1-4 over its last five. Those losses have come to Loyola, San Clemente, Torrey Pines and Mater Dei.
No. 10 Clovis came from two sets down yesterday to stay unbeaten with a reverse sweep of Clovis North, The defending Central Section Div. 1 champions graduated only a middle and return OH Justin Moua, last year’s POY; plus First Team All-Conference performers Aiden Insyarath, a setter; and Markus Sevilla, a libero. Others to watch include OH Trey Alexander and Oppo Joel Toves, a UC Merced commit. “The strength of our team is ball control, defense and a fast offensive system,” said coach Richard Lake.
No. 11 Archbishop Mitty improved to 7-0 with a nail biter yesterday over Valley Christian of San Jose. Last year’s NorCal Regional runners up (to Valley) are built around prolific pin hitter William Dryden, a 6-7 senior. Setter Ryan Barnes, libero E.J. Tejano and junior OH Oscar Klement are others to watch for the Monarchs.
No. 12 Newport Harbor recently lost its coach, Andrew Mabry, to the college ranks (Kansas State). The Sailors elevated assistant Matt Johnson to the head coaching position. The Sailors are always good and should be especially strong in the middle with Jack Berry and Zachary DeMaio. Setter Charlie Von Der Ahe and outsides Henry Clemo, Wyatt Nichols and JP Wardy are others to watch.
No. 13 Mater Dei has been a M*A*S*H unit in the early going, but is getting healthy, as evidenced by Wednesday’s sweep of Santa Margarita Catholic. The Monarchs graduated five starters off of last year’s Trinity League champions, but they have a strong core back that is dangerous, when healthy. Players to watch include talented sophomore OH Jeremiah Potasi, junior pin Ben Smith and senior middle Dylan Gallagher, a Pepperdine commit. Junior Jake Newman has been an impact newcomer as the team’s starting setter.
No. 14 Santa Margarita Catholic has 15 wins so far this year, including over Loyola, Valley Christian of San Jose and Poway . Sophomore setter Chase Wallin and senior OH Brooks Ignosci are the catalysts for the Eagles.
No. 15 El Segundo was 9-12 last year but has turned things around to the tune of a 13-1 start to 2025. The Eagles return five starters including 6-6 twin OHs Dylan Pilkvist and Ryan Pilkvist, both UCSB recruits. Libero Nathan Burns, a Cal Lutheran pledge; setter Evin Krilko and 6-6 MB Grant Ostler also are back, with freshman opposite Owen Williamson and freshman setter Owen Ludwig also contributing to team success.
No. 16 St. John Bosco is off to a 14-1 start after going 8-21 a year ago. The Braves return two starters from last year, 6-5 pin Ayden Fariester and 5-7 setter Jaiden Gutierrez, but credit their turnaround to an influx of new players, including freshmen Logan Flores and Santiago Marquez (pins), MB Reese Asoau and setter Jacob Legaspi, The transfers include 6-4 MB Brandon Kim, 5-10 libero Conner Ma and six players whose last name is Shiekh. Five are pin hitters while sophomore Austin Shiekh is a setter.
No. 17 Francis Parker is 12-3 heading into today’s match with University City. The Lancers have a big middle in 6-9 sophomore Kevin O’Brien, two setters with decent size in 6-2 Mike Smith and 6-3 Adam Fox and potent outside hitters in 6-7 junior Miles Custer and 6-2 senior Matthew Sedano.
No. 18 Burroughs of Burbank is 12-2 and riding a current six-game winning streak. The Bears, who already have wins over Servite, West Ranch and St. Francis of La Canada, are led by Benji Ly, Caiden Schrode and Noah Duffield.
No. 19 Sanger finished as Central Section Div. 1 runner up last year. The Apaches graduated both kill leaders and the main part of their serve-receive passing, but have impressed in an 8-3 start. Veteran coach Scott Okada says that his team is experienced and athletic and that that the overall ceiling for this team is very high. Setter Giovanni Valencia, pin hitters Cody Coles and Isaac Herrera and 6-8 senior middle Micah Cole are the players to watch.
No. 20 De La Salle improved to 11-1 on the year with a four-set win over San Ramon Valley yesterday in league play. The Spartans, who have lost only to Sanger, have good size in returning 6-4 setter Owen McDonagh and senior middles Austin Berry (6-4) and Cooper Cassidy (6-7). Coach Stephanie Cline says that two first-time varsity players, senior OH Braden Lawry-Shipe and senior libero Gino Columbana, have made a huge impact. Two other seniors, pins Liam Wilson and Lucas Berry, have also been strong contributors.
No. 21 Canyon Crest Academy is off to a 26-0 start behind 6-5 senior pin Henry Garewal and 6-3 senior setter Justin Zhang
No. 22 Harbor is 11-0, paced by senior libero Abe Schmidt, senior OH Noah Luksich and junior middle Grady McKee.
No. 23 Oak Ridge has started 16-0, thanks to a well-rounded squad with athletic, dynamic, experienced players at every position. The Trojans excel at ball control and, according to coach Range Larson, have tough serves and play scrappy defense behind a big, solid block. Senior setter Jack Reynolds leads the way, with sophomore Jamie Fraser excelling at putting balls away and libero Jack Reiser taking control of the back row. Travis Vandeluyster and Nik Nettleman man the middle, with Sam Renaud and 6-7 sophomore Elias Cannon making significant contributions on attack.
OH Drake Harris leads No. 24 Peninsula.
Libero Justin Chen and OH Noah Smith are players to watch for No. 25 Venice, which has started 14-1.