Bishop Diego boys volleyball pulled off a reverse sweep of Brea Olinda on the road on Wednesday to punch its ticket to the CIF-SS Div. 5 Semifinals.
The Cardinals (26-8) took control in the final three sets to secure the quarterfinal win, 24-26, 23-25, 25-18, 25-19, 15-10.
Bishop Diego will now return home and play host to El Dorado for the semifinals on Saturday inside the Brick House. First serve is currently set for 3 p.m.
The outside hitting duo of John Michael Flint and Damien Krautmann was unstoppable for the Cardinals. Flint tallied 30 kills and 12 digs, while Krautmann recorded 28 kills and nine digs.
Luke Walters also filled up the stat sheet with 59 assists, 12 digs and two blocks. Luca Moreno-Murphy provided a spark for Bishop Diego and came through down the stretch to seal the win.
“This was a true test of will tonight when we had probably our worst serving game of the season,” Bishop Diego head coach Dillan Bennett said. “When you miss 19 serves and lose by two points in the first two games, you start to think, ‘what the heck?!’ Maybe this isn’t our night.’
“From the moment game two ended, John Michael took control of the huddle, started telling people what they needed to do to get back on track, and Damien and Luca started to rev it up.
“Tyler, Luke, and Tua were all right behind them, following suit. It was quite great to see them work together with their backs against the wall, season on the line, find a way to win and extend the season. I’m so proud of them tonight.”
Bishop Diego’s 26th victory marks a program record for wins in a season, and Saturday’s semifinals match will be the first for the Cardinals since 2008.
El Dorado 3, Dos Pueblos 0 (Div. 5)
The Chargers suffered a season-ending loss to El Dorado on Wednesday in the CIF-SS Div. 5 Quarterfinals.
“I’m proud of the squad this year. We improved a ton,” Dos Pueblos head coach Ehren Hug said. “We competed very hard, and the future looks bright. A lot of guys are still learning the game, but I saw some turn a corner this season, and I’m excited for the future of this program and the players coming back.
“We are so appreciative of the five seniors who will be moving on. They all played four years in Sovine Gym and represented the program well.”
Caleb Damron had a solid night at the net for the Chargers with six kills and four blocks, while Evan Daugherty tallied six kills and Lorenzo DeMatteo scooped up eight digs.
Dos Pueblos ends the season at 17-15 overall, including a fourth-place finish in the Channel League.
