Bishop Diego boys volleyball secured a sweep of Rio Hondo Prep in the CIF-SS Div. 5 playoff opener on Wednesday inside the Brick House.
The sweep marked the first playoff win for the Cardinals since 2022 and secured a spot in the second round, where Bishop Diego is scheduled to host La Quinta on Friday at 5 p.m.
“More than anything, I’m so happy for this group of guys to win a CIF playoff game in their high school career,” Bishop Diego head coach Dillan Bennett said. “Our coaches prepared for this match and approached this as if it were our championship game because, between bad breaks and matchups in other sports, this group hasn’t been able to shut the door and get a win.”
The Cardinal duo of John Michael Flint and Damien Krautmann dominated on the outside to the tune of 21 kills apiece in the sweeping win.
Meanwhile, Tyler Roberts turned in a strong showing in serve receive and at the service line, and Luke Walters ran an effient offense.
“I’m so happy for John Michael, Damien, Tyler, Ian, Kingston, Nico, Luca, and Tua for getting their first playoff wins tonight,” Bennett said. “The monkey is off everyone’s back, and winning is contagious. We’re going to get right back to work tomorrow to prep for our next round against La Quinta.”
Dos Pueblos 3, Aquinas 2 (Div. 5)
The top-seeded Chargers pulled off a reverse sweep of Aquinas High in their playoff opener on Wednesday inside Sovine Gym, 21-25, 20-25, 25-16, 25-11, 15-13.
The Dos Pueblos middle duo of Caleb Damron and Cyrus Jay were a force on the offensive attack with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Meanwhile, Damron tallied six blocks and Jay had two of his own.
“[Damron and Jay] have been grinding this year and tonight their presence was big for us,” Dos Pueblos head coach Ehren Hug said.
Ben Wojogbe had a strong all-around night as well with 15 digs, eight kills and four aces, while Evan Daugherty collected 10 digs, five kills and four blocks.
Dos Pueblos will now hit the road and clash with Hemet High on Friday at 6 p.m. Hemet defeated Summit High in five sets in the opening round.
Godinez 3, Providence 2 (Div. 7)
The Patriots had their season come to an end with a five-set loss to Godinez on Wednesday in Santa Ana, 28-26, 13-25, 17-25, 25-20, 7-15.
“Overall, we played really well,” Providence head coach Dan Terry said. “We were the underdogs in this one and fought hard till the very end. I think we struggled a bit in serve receive, but managed to make up for it with a really good game defensively, getting good digs and blocks often.
“Godienz played a great match and were incredible hosts. We wish them luck in round two. I wish game five ended differently, but I’m still super proud of the team for a great match to cap off a great season.”
Ben Rupnow recorded 10 kills and seven blocks for the Ptriots, while Cor Patterson chipped in nine kills and Sam Oliynyk added seven blocks.
Providence, which earned a playoff spot as an at-large bid out of the Tri-Valley League, ends its season with an overall record of 12-11.