Bishop Diego boys volleyball had its season come to a close with a four-set loss to Wiseburn DaVinci in the first round of the CIF-SS Div. 5 playoffs on Tuesday, 27-25, 21-25, 20-25, 16-25.
The Cardinals capped off their second consecutive 20-win season, which also included an undefeated record in league play and a Tri-Valley League title.
“Our guys played hard and were competitive until late in the match,” Bishop Diego head coach Dillan Bennett said. “As I shared with them, the result of this match cannot diminish what they accomplished this season.
“We thought we would see Wiseburn again in the postseason; we didn’t think we would see them in the first round. They have a team that can compete at the D2 or D3 level with their talent, and we gave them everything we had.”
John Michael Flint led the Cardinals with 18 kills and 12 digs, while Nick Malesky fought through an early-match injury with 13 kills, seven digs and five blocks.
Will Neubauer facilitated the Bishop Diego offense and ended the night with 23 assists.
“Our team is more disappointed that we don’t get to practice again together tomorrow,” Bennett said. “This team was the most fun group of young men as a collective that I’ve coached in 15 years, which made the experience all the more special to me, and hopefully, for them as well.”