The Bishop Diego boys volleyball team rallied from a slow start to defeat El Dorado in four sets on Saturday in the CIF-Southern Section Division 5 semifinals at the Brick House, earning the program’s first berth into a CIF Championship match.
After dropping the opening set 25-22, the Cardinals responded by winning the next three sets to secure a 22-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-22 victory. With the win, Bishop Diego improved to 27-8 overall and advanced to face St. Anthony of Long Beach in the championship match Friday at a site yet to be determined. St. Anthony defeated Bellflower in the other semifinal.
“It’s a dream come true. This is such a great team. They are great kids. I’ve had such a good time working with them,” said Bishop Diego coach Dillan Bennett of reaching the CIF Championship match. “We’re just trying to practice one more time and now we get to practice four more times so we’re really excited about that.”
Bishop Diego was led by outside hitters John Michael Flint and Damien Krautmann, who combined for 37 kills, four blocks and two aces. Krautmann ended the match with a jump-serve ace, while Flint finished with a team-high 20 kills. Krautmann added 17 kills.
The Cardinals also received key contributions from role players Tyler Roberts and Kingston Bustos, particularly during the middle stages of the match. Roberts contributed six kills and two blocks while providing consistent passing on defense. Bustos added five kills and two blocks and helped spark a 5-0 run in the fourth set with an assist on a Krautmann kill.
“Tyler is such a fireball, he is one of my favorite kids to coach because we have very similar games, of course me a long time ago now,” Bennett said of Roberts. “He passes the ball really well, he has a nice deep float serve, he has got a great swing down the line and he plays with a chip on his shoulder.”
Bennett credited Bustos for rebounding from a difficult quarterfinal performance with strong serving, blocking and defensive play in the semifinal.
El Dorado controlled much of the first set behind strong attacking performances from Ian Dang and Evan Chin. Dang finished with 14 kills and Chin added 10.
Bishop Diego adjusted defensively after the opening set by shifting its block to better defend El Dorado’s cross-court attacks. The adjustment allowed the taller Cardinals to gain more touches at the net and convert points in transition. Bishop Diego finished with 11 team blocks,”
“We knew that they were a very athletic team and that they were going to hit the ball really hard and aggressively,” Bennett said. “I think more than anything in the first game they just couldn’t figure out that we don’t need to go up to get the ball, if we just sneak low and across the net we are going to get a couple more touches.”
The fourth set was tight down the stretch. Bishop Diego erased an early deficit with a 5-0 run to take a 12-10 lead, but El Dorado responded repeatedly to tie the score late in the set. A Krautmann kill gave the Cardinals a 20-19 advantage.
El Dorado closed within 23-22 before Flint delivered a kill to reach match point. Krautmann then sealed the victory with a service ace, sending Bishop Diego to the first CIF boys volleyball final in school history.
The victory marked a milestone for both the program and several players who had not previously advanced beyond the opening rounds of postseason competition in other sports.
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