Pirates knock off Rustlers to remain unbeaten

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- The first of two (potentially three) "Matches of the Year" took place on Wednesday night as the undefeated Orange Coast College men's volleyball team headed to Golden West College to take on the fellow unbeaten (and defending state champion) Rustlers.

By the time the night was over, there was just one unbeaten team remaining and that was the Pirates who played their best volleyball of the season en route to a four-set victory over their longtime rivals. 

Led by some quality hitting and even more quality defense and execution, the Pirates (17-0, 7-0 in conference) rolled to a 25-22, 25-17, 23-25, 25-19 win, snapping GWC's 23-match winning streak dating back to last year.

Victor Loiola led the OCC attack with 17 kills (only two errors) and five digs. Ben Bray added 13 kills, six digs and a pair of block assists. Seth Sainz contributed 10 kills (four block assists), giving the trio 40 kills with just eight errors on 70 attempts. Quentin Ryan (eight kills) and Collin Applegate (five kills) and Bjorn Hawe (five kills) added to the Pirate offensive depth as the squad hit for an impressive .351 kill percentage. 

In a matchup this tight, it always comes down to who makes the most digs and fewest mistakes and for the Pirates, their defense was anchored by Mason Grubbs, who notched eight digs to go along with 21 assists. Reece Leftwich and Jett Reyes each added five digs, with Reyes also dishing out 26 assists. 

The Pirate defense held the Rustlers to just 36 kills on the night, with a .168 kill percentage. OCC finished with 58 kills. No Rustler finished in double figures, with Gino Viggiano and AJ Kuebrich each leading the way with seven kills. 

Coast went for it from the service line and ripped seven aces to just two from the Rustlers, which helped negate OCC's 22 service errors. 

The rematch between the Pirates and Rustlers will take place on Friday, April 10, inside OCC's Peterson Gym, beginning at 6 p.m.

OCC's next home match is Friday night against San Diego Mesa, also at 6 p.m.