Boys’ varsity volleyball added yet another chapter to its storybook season with a CIF Division 4 State Championships opening round win against Woodrow Wilson High School in the Wildcat gym May 20.

The Wildcats swept the visiting Bruins 3-0, and now advance to a second round matchup against Mater Dei Catholic of Chula Vista on Thursday. 

Against Wilson, the Wildcats were slow to find the momentum that carried them to four straight wins and a CIF-Southern Section championship game appearance. 

BOHS fell behind by three points in the first set to the visitors from Los Angeles. Methodically, behind solid defense from Kaeden Vasquez (‘26) and multiple kills from Addison Altermatt (‘25), the Wildcats chipped away, then pulled away for a 10-point win.  

“We went into the game overconfident and played at their level, but we started to pick it up once we got settled in,” Mason Del Rosario (‘26), middle blocker, said.

The dominant first set boosted the team’s confidence going into the second set. 

“We realized we were much better than [Wilson],” Sean Chen (’28), libero, said. “After the first set the game was already over.” 

The Wildcats’ momentum continued into the second set, and the boys cruised to a 25-20 win behind Brysen Byrnes’s (‘26) diving digs, and timely blocks by Ivan Haluska (‘25).

“When we started to lock in and give it our all, we started playing as a team,” Altermatt said.

Wilson did not give up without a fight, however. Down 2-0, the Mules battled for each point in a back-and-forth third match.

To control the pace, and to inspire her team, Wildcats’ head coach Kavita Arasu called a timeout. The strategy worked, the boys pulled away, and the team earned its first-ever state championships win,  25-21.

The 6-foot-6-inch Altermatt was a force at the net, notching five blocks and ten kills, mostly from spikes. 

“My defense really stepped up and my big blocks were key contributions,” Altermatt said of his performance.

It has been a season of firsts, and team records, for boys’ volleyball — first CIF-Southern Section playoffs appearance since 2009, first CIF win, first CIF championship game, and first CIF state championships appearance.

Their 19 wins is also a team record. Last season, the Wildcats finished 5-16. 

The Wildcats’ road to Chula Vista was paved with dominant wins in playoffs, starting with a 3-0 sweep over Lawndale High School in the first round April 29; a 3-0 victory over Vasquez High School May 2; another three-game sweep against Lakewood High School May 7; and a 3-1 victory over San Jacinto High School in the semifinals May 10.

The Wildcats’ momentum was finally halted by visiting San Gabriel Academy in a five game thriller in the Wildcat gym May 14.

“It was just one win after another,” Byrnes said of the team’s historic run through Southern Section playoffs.

Despite the loss to San Gabriel Academy, the Wildcats, as Division 7 runners-up, advanced to the state championships in Division 4 as a fourth seed. (There are four divisions in boys’ volleyball state playoffs.)

After knocking off Wilson in a decisive sweep, the Wildcats travel two hours south to face top-seeded Mater Dei Catholic on Thursday. The Crusaders, 30-10 on the season, were winners of the Metro South Bay League and champions of San Diego Section’s Division 3.

While the Crusaders will be the biggest challenge yet in the Wildcats’ historic season, the players are ready. 

“We have been working hard all season so I believe we are ready to go in there and play them the best we can,” Del Rosario said.