It was the best high school volleyball.
“I definitely can’t believe it!”
That’s how Mira Costa Boys volleyball coach Greg Snyder described the team’s performance on Friday night, following his latest chapter, in a fierce rivalry between the two top programs across the country.
Visiting Mustangs (20-1) took command early and wiped out Loyola 25-19, 25-18 and 25-20, establishing himself as a favorite to win the highest division of the South.
Leading the way was the Grand Canyon committing Thatcher Falbush. The Mustangs ended up losing in the final of the best West Tournament in San Diego two weeks ago, ending a nightmare loss to the Cubs.
“We served better and got out of the system,” said Farbush, whose USC commit brother Blake was weakened by the flu but still had five kills for Loyola. “Our main strength is numbers. They can’t hold the key to one man. We lost them 11 in a row, so we wanted to finish it.”
Despite living in Manhattan Beach, the brothers decided to go to Loyola when Thatcher was in eighth grade, but he transferred after sophomore. He’s happy he’s making the switch – and so are his teammates.
“It’s all love,” Thatcher said. “This is the perfect environment to play.”
It was Matteo Bringer who added the last 12 kills at the Mustang’s third match point. Its sister Charlie is a setter for Mira Costa and completed the freshman season in Wisconsin in December.
Setter Andrew Chapin committed 40 assists, UCLA committed Grayson Bradford (a senior transfer from Cresspi) with 11 kills, while Alex Hines added seven kills and four blocks to the Mustang, who last beat Loyola in the SOCAL Regional Division I Finals on June 12, 2021.
“We wanted to win badly,” Bradford said. “We bring energy and we have a lot of trust in each other. We believe that no matter who it is, we can put away any balls.”
Loyola defeated MiraCosta three times last spring, winning the school’s annual non-league showdown, dominating the Mustangs in the Southern Section 1 Division 1 Final and SOCAL Regional Finals.
Snyder, who took the helm last season and led MiraCosta to a 37-5 record, is the best Western title and Bay League Championship, and takes a bit of time to savor his first victory over Loyola and knows his rivals are likely to meet again in the playoffs.
The team met four times in section titles, with Loyola winning four sets in 2005 and 2010 and three sets in 2024. Mira Costa won in 2012 in five sets. In 2021, the Mustang won the final of eight section titles and cleaned up the Port of Newport under former coach Avered Lost.
“We weren’t healthy for a week, but nothing was taken away from them,” said Cubs coach Mike Bolle, who has since taken over in 1999 and piloted his alma mater to seven section titles.
Nate Garrett led with nine kills, while Simon Caps added seven to Loyola (12-3). Blue and white supporters of the student section waving the flag and chanting “Let’s Go Cubs!” During the introduction, however, MiraCosta fans retorted, “We can’t hear you!” With timeouts with the team, you hold a comfortable lead midway through the second set.
