Orange Coast College

Women's Volleyball: Pirates prepared for State Tournament

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

COSTA MESA -- Fresh off of Saturday's stunning upset over top-seed L.A. Pierce, the Orange Coast College women's volleyball team went back to work this week, preparing for the upcoming California Community College Athletic Association Women's Volleyball State Championship.

"Everyone is extremely ecstatic around our program," OCC head coach Chuck Cutenese said. "The energy level at our practice the other day was very high and it actually took us a few minutes to get our mindset back to 'practice' mode."

The Pirates (20-4), seeded No. 1 in the tournament thanks to their 25-21, 14-25, 25-22, 25-22 win over the top-seeded Brahmas on Saturday, open the tournament with Fresno City (25-5) on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Pasadena City College.

"I think a lot of teams in the area felt that the biggest hurdle out there was Pierce, so with them out of it, it really opens the door for a lot of teams," Cutenese said. "I know we're the No. 1 seed, but the team to beat in this thing is El Camino. They have the past experience of winning it last year and they have good passing and serving to go with their hitting. The bull’s eye is definitely on their backs.

"At this level of the tournament, everyone has hitters. I think it at the state tournament, it comes down to who can be the best ball-handlers, who can serve the strongest and who can pass the best."

Also in the mix from the south are a bunch of familiar faces as three teams from the Orange Empire Conference -- OCC, Irvine Valley and Fullerton -- have advanced to the state.

"I don't think a lot of teams are expecting a lot from us and that's good -- I like the underdog role," Cutenese said. "I told the girls that this state tournament is the icing on the cake. I've been on teams where we were the team to beat and that led to a bunch of sleepless nights."

The offensive depth on the Pirates is one of their major strengths. With five players each over 100 kills, the options are there for setter Emily Lyon (773 kills). Leading the way for Coast has been freshman middle blocker Briana Fields (224 kills), with freshman outside hitter Rachel Freeno (202 kills) and sophomore outside hitter Jessica Bodkin (192) close behind.

"Briana has really stepped up for us," Cutenese said. "When we recruited her, she wanted to be an outside hitter for us, but when I thought she would be a bigger help for us in the middle, she did what was best for the team and she's been great for us."

If passing and defense wins championships, the Pirates definitely have a shot at the hardware. With 1,214 digs as a team, Coast has been led by freshman libero Amanda Cheseborough (301 digs), Freeno (245 digs) and sophomore defensive specialist Jena Curry (168 digs).

"I said about two weeks ago that this team needed two more weeks to develop and they really have," Cutenese said. "We're a very deep team that plays nine deep, so I have to pay attention to my sub count. Everyone has accepted their roles on the team and we're playing our best volleyball at the best time. We'll see how far it takes us."