Livingston High boys volleyball team will play for state championship
Livingston High boys volleyball coach Mike Alvernaz held the Wolves’ new Northern California championship plaque high over his head, showing it off to the crowd. Alvernaz then handed off the plaque to his players as they celebrated and took photos.
Next is an opportunity to become the first team in any sport in school history to win a state championship.
The No. 2 seeded Wolves (37-6) defeated No. 5 Oakland 26-24, 25-22, 19-25, 25-20 on Angelo Naldi Court on Saturday night to punch their ticket to the Division IV state championship against Southern California champion No. 1 Mater Dei Catholic of Chula Vista at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 31 at Fresno City College.
“I think we’re ready, we’re excited,” said Livingston junior Bradley Kaji, who racked up 16 kills and two blocks in the win over Oakland. “This is a big moment and we want to make history for the town, our community and our school. Being form a small town, this means everything to us. We’re playing for something bigger than ourselves. This is a big deal. I think we can do it.”
The town showed its support, filling the bleachers with a sea of purple. School administrators were already working on a plan to possibly transport fans to Fresno if they can find buses available, with so many graduation festivities going on.
“This team has gone further than any sports team at the school has ever gone,” said Alvernaz. “It’s a very special group of guys. They did a great job of working together. Their attitude is all about the team.”
The Wolves are making this historic run with a nucleus of juniors, with Navjot Sekhon, Shabadjot Kaloya, Udayveer Dhadda, Gurvir Singh, Joe Barajas and Kaji all playing key roles.
Alvernaz praised setter Kaloya for orchestrating the offense so well and spreading his 35 assists across the Wolves’ arsenal of hitters with Sekhon and Singh racking up 19 kills apiece.
Sekhon, Kaji and Singh’s ability to play above the net was too much for the Wildcats (25-8) to contend with as the Wolves hit Oakland with scoring runs throughout each game.
Despite only three seniors listed on the roster, it’s a group that has played a lot of volleyball together.
“I’ve known all these guys for a long time,” Singh said. “I’ve made a lot of friends through volleyball. We’ve gone from the bottom to the top together. We’ve formed tight bonds.”
Livingston High is 101 years old and this will be the first team playing for a state championship. The Wolves now have a week to prepare, but Alvernaz wants to make sure his players enjoy it.
“I’ve told our guys we have to live in the moment,” he said. “Not everyone gets this opportunity. This is special, this uncharted territory, but more than anything else, we have to go out and have fun.”
