Patient Pirates sweep past Vaqueros
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Santa Barbara (4-2) | 12 | 21 | 19 | 0 |
|
Orange Coast (2-3) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
COSTA MESA -- For the Orange Coast College men's volleyball team, it was a simple matter of, "Good things come to those who wait." After a 70-minute start delay due to holiday weekend traffic, the Pirates welcomed the Santa Barbara City College Vaqueros from their long journey and promptly sent them back home with a 25-12, 25-12, 25-19 nonconference loss on Friday night inside the Peterson Gym.
The Vaqueros needed nearly five hours of drive time to make it through the freeway jungles en route to Costa Mesa, but the Pirates needed just 75 minutes for the three-set victory.
Nick Amado was strong in the middle for the Pirates (2-3) with 16 kills and six blocks, while Adrian Faitalia chipped in 11 kills and Steven Duhoux dished out 38 assists.
For the Vaqueros (4-2), Shaft Wesley had 11 kills, while Sean Reynaert added eight.
Coast made quick work of the bus-lagged guests and busted out to a 20-7 lead as the Pirates quickly grabbed the opening set.
SBCC regrouped and hung tough with the Pirates in the second set. Trailing, 2015, the Vaqueros, who earlier in the year, topped Pacific Coast Conference rival Irvine Valley in five sets, used a pair of kills by Reynaert to get to within two at 23-21. But Coast answered back when a wide SBCC return and a kill by Faitalia ended the set, giving the Pirates a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Vaqueros had their first leads of the match early in the third set, but a 7-3 run by the Pirates gave the lead back to the hosts and they kept it the rest of the way.
Coast finished strong with kills by five different players -- Amado, Faitalia, Duhoux, Kyle Hurst and Kamaha'o Paio -- to close the match out.
The Pirates will hit the road for a pair of matches before returning to the Peterson Gym on Friday, Feb. 27 against Golden West, beginning at 6 p.m.
