The Bishop Diego girls volleyball team will play for the program’s sixth CIF-Southern Section championship at Cerritos College on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Cardinals (27-7) will take on Long Beach Poly (27-12) for the Division 3 title. It will be the first-ever meeting between the schools.
Bishop Diego last won a CIF title in 2021, when standout Eliana Urzua was a freshman. That team was guided by current coach Dillan Bennett.
The school’s previous titles came in 1975, 77, 78 and 79.
Long Beach Poly, a school with a rich athletic tradition, last won a girls volleyball title in 2010, capturing Southern Section’s the top division (1AA). The Jackrabbits also won in 2000.
Bishop Diego and Long Beach Poly have a common opponent in Bishop Montgomery. The Cardinals won a CIF second-round playoff match over the Knights in four sets, while Poly swept them in a non-league match.
Long Beach Poly went 11-0 in the Moore League and played strong teams outside of league like Division 1 finalist Sierra Canyon, Division 2 finalist Murrieta Valley, Redondo Union, La Cañada, Los Alamitos and powerhouse programs from Hawaii. In the semifinals, the Jackrabbits rallied from an 0-2 deficit to beat Windward on the road.
Bishop Diego also is battle tested. The Cardinals split matches against Division 4 finalist Newbury Park and beat a strong Los Gatos team from the Central Coast Section. They lost a five-game match against San Marcos and fell in four against Santa Barbara. They defeated a strong Cypress team in four sets in the semifinals.
There is a history of local teams winning titles at Cerritos College. Jason Donnelly coached the Laguna Blanca girls to a title in 2015 and played on the 1991 San Marcos boys championship team, coached by the legendary Jon Lee. Lee also coached the San Marcos girls and boys teams to CIF titles at Cerritos in 1999.
