Gaining momentum ahead of postseason, Southwest boys’ volleyball cruises to GMAC title
Southwest Miami’s boys’ teams historically tend to play their best volleyball down the stretch.
It’s why the Eagles have two state championships and have been a regular at the state tournament going on two decades.
After dealing with some injuries to key players early in the season, the Eagles are coming into form once again at the right time and showed it on Tuesday night as they cruised to the GMAC tournament championship at the Hialeah Gardens High gym.
Southwest secured its first GMAC title since 2018 following a convincing 25-17, 25-14 victory over Ferguson in the finals, which followed wins over Miami Beach and Miami High.
“We’re finally starting to gel together and we have a few pieces that were missing early on back,” said first-year Eagles coach Joshua Perez. “We’re confident in our work and that we can go out there and have a chance to do something good.”
Southwest (18-2) was without two of its middle hitters due to injury early in the season, according to Perez, but has benefitted from a fully healthy rotation and won its past eight matches.
Mitchell DeLeon led the Eagles with eight kills and sophomore Juan Marco Diaz, who is back in the lineup this season after suffering a serious leg injury, had seven kills and 17 assists in the final. Marlon Albornoz also had four aces. Andrew Ovalle had seven kills and seven digs.
The Eagles are currently the top-ranked team in the state and figure to be in the thick of a state title race that includes Cardinal Gibbons, a much-improved Belen Jesuit squad and three-time reigning state champion Orlando Freedom.
Perez has also been coaching this season with longtime Southwest volleyball coach Mauricio Diaz, who returned to his alma mater this season and is coaching his Juan Marco, his son. Diaz guided the Eagles to both of their state titles in 2003 and 2008.
The third has been elusive for Southwest, however, thanks to a mighty nemesis from Orlando.
The Eagles have lost in each of the past three state tournaments, including twice in the finals, to Freedom High, currently ranked 10th in the state.
Perez said he likes his team’s focus with the state tournament in Winter Haven less than a month away.
“We had to put a few different lineups together but now this is the ideal lineup we envisioned,” Perez said. “We’re in tunnel vision right now. Every game we play, we’re not playing the scoreboard. We’re playing us and what we need to do.”
This story was originally published April 18, 2023 at 8:27 PM.
