Orange Coast College

Pirates sweep Golden West to advance to State Tournament

Saturday, November 25, 2006

COSTA MESA - Golden West's women's volleyball team landed the first blow to the Pirates' chin back in November, staggering the defending champs.
But on Saturday in the second round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs, the defending state champs landed the last and loudest blow of them all with a 30-21, 30-25, 30-16 sweep of the Rustlers, returning to Fresno for the State Volleyball Tournament on Dec. 1.
"I told them after lost to Golden West (on Oct. 11) that everyone needed to step up their games and they have done exactly that," OCC head coach Chuck Cutenese said. "I told them we couldn't be a one-person show and expect to make it all the way to the State Tournament. Tonight's win reflected just how far our team has come."

Two-time All-American Kiwi Winkler led the OCC offense with 18 kills, but several Pirate players contributed to picking apart the Gauchos' defense, especially from the middle blocker position.
Jennifer Chiffer (pictured right) added nine kills from the middle for Coast (21-2), while Jacqi Reed popped in six kills from the outside.
Ashlee Moon was all over the court, racking up 19 digs on defense, while Chelsea Spadaro found the right people at the right time, dishing out 37 assists. Joanna Johnson (pictured far left) contributed to the defense with six blocks.
"It was great to see so many people contribute on offense," Cutenese said. "If there ever was a 'team win', tonight was it."
Golden West (15-6) came out aggressive and the early action looked to be a preview to a classic matchup between two of the most decorated volleyball programs in the state.
But Coast put an end to all of that with a 10-3 run midway through Game 1, turning a 7-5 deficit into a 15-10 lead, a lead it would not lose for the rest of the match. A pair of strong kills by Chiffer, Reed and Winkler, combined with a quick kill and block by Spadaro fueled the run.
Kassie Faulkner and Leslie Ray each posted eight kills and 16 digs for the Rustlers and their strong play kept GWC within two at 21-19 before the Pirates scored nine of the next 11 points to take the opening game.
Another momentum-grabbing 9-3 run by the Pirates during Game 2 turned a 12-12 tie into a 21-15 lead and with the way OCC was digging, serving, passing and hitting, a six-point lead was just too much to overcome.
In Game 3, the Pirates gave the Rustlers a VIP tour of their "woodshed" as they jumped out to an amazing 23-8 lead, playing nearly flawless volleyball along the way.
Finally, on Winkler's 18th kill of the night, the match was over and the Pirates' return trip to Fresno was officially theirs.
OCC will take on Shasta (25-5) in the State Tournament quarterfinals on Dec. 1.