Pirates demolish Rustlers in rival showdown
HUNTINGTON BEACH -- In a battle of the two top teams in the Orange Empire Conference, the Orange Coast College women's volleyball team came up big when it mattered most and swept rival Golden West on Friday night at GWC.
Led by an impressive 23-kill, nine-dig performance by sophomore standout Karlee Riggs, the Pirates (13-0, 7-0 OEC) -- ranked No. 2 in the state, toppled the seventh-ranked Rustlers, 25-18, 25-21, 25-23 to take over as the top team in conference.
The loss drops Golden West to 12-3 overall, 6-1 in conference, one game behind the Pirates. The same two teams will wrap up the regular season at OCC's Peterson Gym on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.
With all of the attention focused on Riggs by the Rustler defense, other Pirate hitters managed to contribute big points, including middle blocker Morgan Link, who was a perfect 5-for-5 and opposite Isabel Emrich, who was 3-for-6 on her opportunities.
Setter Allison Lumsden dished out 37 assists, while libero Andi Frisina and sophomore Dana Nicholson each notched 15 digs on defense.\
Link and Kourtney Chadderdon combined for six total block assists.
Alicia Utke led the Rustlers with nine kills.
The Pirates will return to action on Wednesday at Fullerton College, beginning at 6 p.m. OCC's next home match will be on Friday against Saddleback, beginning at 7 p.m.
