Archbishop Mitty greets Rocklin, former coach Bret Almazan-Cezar with sweep in NorCal Open volleyball semis
SAN JOSE — Archbishop Mitty volleyball is back where the Monarchs feel they belong.
Mitty wasn’t expecting to lose to St. Ignatius in the Central Coast Section Open Division semifinals last week. But the Monarchs got a second chance in the NorCal Open Division tournament, and so far, they’ve taken full advantage.
Four days after sweeping No. 4 Marin Catholic on the road, No. 5 Mitty returned home and dispatched No. 8 Rocklin, led by former Monarchs coach Bret Almazan-Cezar, in the same manner.
Mitty took the match by set scores of 25-17, 25-19, 25-18.
“When we lost last week to SI, who played really well, we had a good response to that,” Mitty coach Jon Wallace said. “And our girls were saying, ‘We’re going to take advantage of every moment we have now.’ So our practices have been a little bit better, more competitive, and everybody’s accepting their roles even more.
“Tonight, when I watched us play, whether we were good or bad, we were just really consistent, and we were not going to let any moment get in our way of doing what we wanted to do. So I’m really proud of how tough they were, how they responded to a run by them, or a slow start by us in set three. They’re pretty focused up right now. It’s fun to watch.”
Mitty (28-6) didn’t know if it would have another home match this season, but Rocklin’s upset of top-seeded Branson gave the Monarchs one more go of it in San Jose. Perhaps it was only fitting that the man largely responsible for that was Almazan-Cezar, who enjoyed a legendary run in charge of Mitty from 2000-2020.
“We’re the first Rocklin team of any sport to be an Open team, and to get an Open win was huge,” he said. “Then we have to come here, and I’m pretty sure they’ve never lost a NorCal match in this gym for 20 years.”
Almazan-Cezar would know. He was there for 11 state championship runs, and Wallace credited him with laying the foundation for what the Monarchs are today under his tutelage.
“I’ve known Bret for 25, 26 years,” said Wallace, Santa Clara University’s head coach from 1999-2018. “I used to recruit his athletes when he was out in Stockton, and I recruited his athletes when he was here. Legendary. Look at all the banners. He’s done an amazing job. And it wasn’t just banners. He built the program. When I got here, the program was built. He did all that work. He did a great job.”
Now, after his first year at Rocklin (38-6), Almazan-Cezar is trying to build the foundation of another elite program.
“It’s neat to see old faces,” he said of returning to Mitty. “But it’s just another match. We’re trying to keep the kids away from all that little bird-cage circus. But it’s great to see people.
“They’ve just got to learn about each moment. You win each moment, and then you keep moving on. The last time Rocklin came in here was 10 years ago, you know? And when we got to Open, it was like, ‘Oh gosh.’ It’s like, ‘Let’s find out how good we are.’ Today, we didn’t find out how good we were, so we just learned.”
For Mitty, the chance to travel to Kentfield and face Marin Catholic on the road was an opportunity to reset. It sure seems like the Monarchs have flipped the switch and are now fully prepared for a shot at the NorCal Open title against St. Francis on Tuesday in Mountain View.
“After we lost to SI, we had a good talk to the girls about, ‘It’s going to be better for us to go on the road,’” Wallace said. “It’s telling us we need to be tougher, more focused. When we went up and played Marin, we were like that, and I’m happy that we continued it at home. I hope we continue it going forward, because we’re going on the road regardless, right? The loss put us on a different trajectory, so that’s been cool.”