One of the biggest showdowns of the year is happening this afternoon at Long Beach Poly, where the Jackrabbits are hosting Lakewood at 4:30 p.m.
The two teams have won the last six Moore League titles including splitting it twice in the last three years–last year they split their two matches against each other and shared the league crown.
“I think it’s great to have a match that people get really excited for,” said Lakewood coach Mike Wadley, whose team is ranked No. 7 in the CIF-SS Division 1 rankings, while Poly is just outside the top 15.
Both teams feature a pair of senior leaders at the net, as the Lancers rely on setter Moni Vivao and hitter Julia Crawford, while Poly looks to setter Liz Schuster and hitter Allanah Cutler. All four players will play collegiately next year.
Adding an interesting wrinkle to this year’s rivalry match is a crop of talented freshmen, none of whom have played in this rivalry before.
“For both of us I’m sure a big thing is trying to make sure the new kids aren’t too wide-eyed,” said Wadley before the season. “Lakewood Poly is a different story.”
We’ll have an article, video, and photo gallery after the match as well as live updates with video during it.
