Orange Coast College

Coast ends regular season by sweeping Saddleback

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

COSTA MESA - One of the most decorated groups of sophomore volleyball players took to the floor for the last time in the regular season and they walked off with yet another dominating performance.

Affectionately known as the "Magnificent Seven," the sophomore seven-pack of (pictured, from left to right) Kiwi Winkler, Angela Roberts, Ashlee Moon, Kissa Kent, Joanna Johnson, Eva Johnson and Jennifer Chiffer helped lead the way to a 30-11, 30-25, 30-16 win over Saddleback on Wednesday, wrapping up the school's second straight Orange Empire Conference championship and ninth in school history. Fullerton defeated Irvine Valley in five games on Wednesday to finish tied with the Pirates (11-2 in the OEC), but thanks to two OCC wins over Fullerton, the Pirates will earn the higher seed in the playoffs.
It's the first back-to-back conference titles since 1981-82.
"Selfishly for me and (assistant coach Adrian Delgado), it's been 15 years of waiting and working hard to recruit the type of talent we've had this year," head coach Chuck Cutenese said. "This sophomore class has given us a ton of memories, both individually and as a group with two conference titles and last year's state championship."
Freshman Jacqi Reed led the offense for the Pirates with 13 kills, while Winkler added 11 kills and nine digs. Moon anchored the defense with 15 digs and Roberts paced the offense with 26 assists.
Next up for OCC are the Southern California Regional playoffs. Based on their 19-2 overall record, the Pirates will most likely host at least the first round of the tournament, which kicks off on Tuesday.
"This year has been tougher than last year as far as our conference is concerned. Fullerton is strong, Riverside is better, Irvine Valley and Golden West are always strong so I think that will help us for the playoffs.
"For us to be successful, we're going to have to be strong with our ball control. That's what helped us win state last year. We're also going to have to be able to keep our focus out there for the entire match. We can't let down, even for a little bit because the playoffs are tough."
Playoff seedings will be announced on Sunday.