Central Valley's varsity boys volleyball team beat crosstown-rival Ceres High for the first time this past week.

The Hawks pulled away for a 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 25-20, 25-17) home victory over the Bulldogs Thursday night.

Junior setter Roberto Cisneros and his Central Valley teammates had extra motivation after seeing their head coach get ejected after questioning a call in the third set.

Assistant Vao Suesue filled in for Kelly Heese, who waited outside the gymnasium until the match ended.

"We wanted to win for her," Cisneros stated. "I didn't think it was fair that happened. I would have got mad, too. It was obvious they hit the net. The ref said it was a point for them."
"There are times you have to bite your tongue," Heese said. "I'm not ashamed of what I did. I'm standing up for my players."

Central Valley improved to 2-3 in the WAC.

Ceres High dropped to 2-3 in the conference standings.

"We're capable of much more," Cisneros said.

Roberto collected 20 assists versus the Bulldogs.

Angel Arellano had eight kills and one block.

Erick Martinez had six kills, four aces and four blocks.

Javier Villanueva had six kills.

Hector Herrera had five kills and two blocks.

Omar Espinoza had four digs and one ace.

Ivan Velasquez had four aces.

Angel Leon had three kills.

Christian Murry had 18 digs, 12 kills, four blocks and four aces for Ceres High.

Gustavo Hernandez added 22 assists and four kills.

Cristian Garcia collected 12 blocks, seven kills and two aces.

Central Valley won two straight sets to secure the victory.

Tied at 12-12 following Heese's departure, Central Valley accounted for six of seven points on its way to building an 18-13 lead in the third set.

The Bulldogs tied the score at 18-18 and 19-19.

Central Valley responded with a 6-1 run to dash Ceres High's comeback bid.

"I was sure we were going to win tonight," Cisneros said. "Our intensity was very high. We wanted it more. Everybody played hard until the end."

The Hawks lost the previous five meetings dating back to the 2015-16 school year.

"It's about time," Heese said. "That's the level of play they should always be playing at. They're finding their confidence. They're building trust with each other."

"We live in the same city," Cisneros added. "We're rivals. We proved we were better."