St. Anthony's volleyball team huddles during their final game of the season. (PHOTO COURTESY ST ANTHONY SAINTS TWITTER)
Both Loyola and St. Anthony came up short in their quest for CIF-Southern Section boys’ volleyball titles after defeats in the May 8 semifinals.
In Division 1, fifth-seeded Loyola (22-5) was beaten by No. 1 Newport Harbor (35-1), the country’s top-ranked team by Maxpreps, in straight sets, 25-20, 25-17, 25-23. The Cubs were seeking their 12th title, and had been a finalist seven times in the previous 10 years, winning in 2009, 2010 and 2016.
And in Division 4, second-seeded St. Anthony (29-4) lost a five-set heartbreaker — 21-25, 25-21, 29-31, 25-19, 15-11 — to third-seeded Los Altos (28-4).
The most recent local Catholic school CIF-SS boys’ volleyball champion was Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks, which won the D-2 title in 2017. Loyola (D-1) and Bishop Montgomery (D-3) were finalists that year.
Mike Nelson is the former editor of The Tidings (predecessor of Angelus News).
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