SANTA CRUZ >> The summit has been climbed. For the first time in school history, Harbor High’s boys volleyball team has advanced to a Central Coast Section final.

The No.2 seed Pirates fought off No. 3 Monterey 25-18, 25-20, 23-25, 25-21 in a CCS D-II semifinal on Thursday. The victory came in a thriller with several wild changes of momentum in the late stages that left everyone breathless.

“It’s an honor to have made history,” Pirates setter Eddie Weaver said. “I’m still in shock. I’m happy to have won. Our serve receive was so good. It enabled me to run middles and pins. And we did a great job picking up their tips.”

The drama came when Harbor was moments away from a three-set sweep but saw the visitors put together a furious rally to steal the third set. The refocused Pirates and re-energized Toreadores fought tooth and nail throughout the fourth set.

With the scored tied 16-16, Harbor closed with a 9-5 run, highlighted by three kills each from Cooper Lastition and Josh Rejfir. After the final point, the team rejoiced on the floor with dozens of their fans.

“It’s a pretty special feeling to give our seniors a sendoff,” Harbor coach Kendall Ronzano said. “To beat Santa Cruz and now make the finals for the first time.”

Harbor (29-5 overall) was led by Lastition with 23 kills, Noah Luksich with 19 kills and Rejfir with 17 kills.

Harbor will face No. 4 Monta Vista (25-12) of Cupertino in the championship match at The Harker School in San Jose on Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

The Matadors upset No. 1 Sacred Heart Cathedral in five sets in the other semifinal. Regardless of the result on Saturday, Harbor will continue play in the coming week in the CIF NorCal Regional playoffs, another first for the program.

“I’m excited for our team,” Luksich said. “That loss in the third game was a great challenge for us. We got our energy back. At the end, we had more focus. Our defense got better. And serve pressure helps so much.”

The night began with a great start from Harbor. Both schools were dressed nearly identical, wearing their school colors, green and gold, on black sleeveless jerseys, but the Pirates made sure they stood out. Strong defense and minimal errors launched Harbor to a 17-10 first-set lead and a 25-18 win. Luksich and Lastition were on fire for the Pirates.

Monterey fought back behind their strong hitters, Andres Espinoza, Noah Bigelow and Nathan Uchida. But Harbor had strong serves to hinder the Toreadores’ attack and the Pirates sparkled on defense, led by libero Abe Schmidt and six-rotation players Luksich and Rejfir. Harbor closed the set with a 4-1 run for a 25-20 win.

In the third set, a six-point run fueled by Schmidt’s serving brought separation. The Pirates led 21-13 when everything went sideways. Monterey climbed off the carpet behind Espinoza and Bigelow. The lead narrowed to 23-21 but after a Harbor timeout, the Toreadores scored four straight to shock the Pirates and their fans.

“When you want something so bad and you’re in range of it, sometimes your nerves get up,” Ronzano said. “We let our nerves kick in. We wanted it so bad for each other. And Monterey had nothing to lose. They’re a scrappy team and would not give up.”

The Pirates’ momentum slipped away. Would the match continue turning for the worse?

“When you’re backed into a corner, it’s a good gut check,” Ronzano said. “Our offense was bullying the line. However, they shifted over their middle back. In the fourth set, we had to lean on each other. We had to trust the reps and all the preparation.”

Tension and elite volleyball filled the gym in the fourth set. Neither team led by more than two points most of the way. At 18-17, Harbor made the big plays that led to victory. Rejfir smashed a cross and then shifted over to block lethal Monterey middle Ryan Gallagher for a 20-17 lead. It was perhaps the play of the night and the entire Harbor team mobbed Rejfir.

“We are coached to make reads on the setter,” Rejfir said. “We pay attention. When the pass was short, I was told to go over to the middle.”

Harbor built the lead to 24-18, saw one last Monterey flurry in a three-point surge, and then Rejfir blasted the ball through the block and down to the floor to end the semifinal.

“We’re excited,” Luksich said. “I’m super excited. We earned our trip to the finals and we are capable of winning.”