Mira Costa defeats rival Loyola to repeat as Division 1 boys' volleyball champions

Mira Costa's Mateo Fuerbringer spikes the ball over Loyola's JP Wardy and Xander Tangri to help lift the Mustangs to the Southern Section Division 1 boys' volleyball title on Friday night, (Steve Galluzzo / For The Times) Whether Mira Costa has the best high school volleyball team in America is open to debate, but the Mustangs left little doubt they are No. 1 in the Southern Section on Friday night, sweeping Loyola 25-21, 25-22, 25-22 at Cerritos College to repeat as Division 1 champions. UCLA-bound Mateo Fuerbringer was ready from the start, ending Loyola's first three rallies with thunderous kills and the fourth with an emphatic stuff block.

Ten points into the match, the 6-foot-4 junior hitter already had five kills and he ended the first set with his 12th as Mira Costa was ahead from start to finish. “He’s always had the IQ, now you add the power on top of that? ” Mira Costa coach Greg Snyder said of his star.

“There are no answers. It’s a deadly combination. Mateo has no weaknesses.

” The teams traded leads throughout the second set until the Mustangs created separation late on the serving of Fuerbringer and Enzo Barker before Loyola’s Pax Stetson served into the twine to put Mira Costa up two sets to none. The third-seeded Cubs took a 17-11 lead in the third set, but Mira Costa got in front 20-19 on Barker’s ace and Fuerbringer sent the green-and-white clad fans into delirium with his right-side smash on match point. He finished with 27 kills while Barker and UC Santa Barbara commit Wyatt Davis each added six.