Johnson, Irvine heading to next level
COSTA MESA -- A pair of Orange Coast College women's volleyball players -- Lily Johnson and Giuliana Irvine -- will continue their athletic and academic careers at the four-year level, according to OCC head coach Chuck Cutenese.
Johnson, a 6-1 middle blocker from Timberline (ID) High School, will be heading to the University of Hawaii for sand volleyball, while Irvine -- a 5'5 freshman sand volleyball standout from Kalaheo (HI) High School, will attend Park University in Gilbert AZ.
Johnson, a two-year player for both the indoor and beach teams for the Pirates. Indoors, Johnson anchored the middles with a team-best 83 total blocks to go along with 188 kills and 96 digs. For her career, Johnson finished with 452 kills, 154 blocks and 227 digs. Her 83 total blocks are tied for the most for one season in school history (Stacy Bekemeyer, 1991), while her 154 total blocks shattered the all-time career record, previously held by Melissa Zapiain (129) in 2002 and 2004.
On the beach, Johnson helped the Pirates to a 10-7 overall record and a solid 8-2 mark in the Orange Empire Conferece in 2019. This past season was stopped short due to the COVID pandemic.
"I am very excited about the prospect and I owe so much to Coach Chuck and Coach Adrian (Delgado) at OCC," Johnson said. "They have been instrumental in helping me fulfill my dream of playing Division I sand volleyball. They were more than coaches. They have been role models and have looked out for my best interests all along my OCC journey.
"UH was my dream school to eventually play sand volleyball. UH said I will be their first player that was recruited from my home state of Idaho. OCC has been the perfect choice for me. The academics and athletics were just what I was looking for in a college."
Another Pirate heading to the next level is Giuliana Irvine, who will head to Arizona to compete at Park University after a short, but successful freshman year this season. Teamming with Joceline Martinez, the OCC duo picked up several wins in 2020 before the season was cut short.
"I really enjoyed this year at OCC it helped me prepare myself for these next two years at Park University," Irvine said. "Even though it is a JC, the curriculum and the teachers definitely prepare you for a four-year college. Beach Volleyball at OCC helped me grow as a player I really appreciated Coach Chuck's effort of always making sure we were prepared for our games. I got really close to my teammates, but sadly our season got cut short. But, I still was able to make close friendships with the girls."
