Defending champs host Santa Barbara in playoff opener

COSTA MESA -- The two-time, defending state champion Orange Coast College men's volleyball team will begin its quest for three in a row when the Pirates host Santa Barbara City College in the State Elite Eight on Friday night at 6 p.m. inside the Peterson Gym.

For the undefeated and top-seeded Pirates (17-0) -- champions of the Orange Empire Conference for the seventh straight year -- they look for consecutive win No. 24 against the No. 8-seeded Vaqueros (9-8) in the first meeting of the year between the two programs, excluding a Jan. 24 scrimmage at SBCC.

Coast has been dominating the competition for the 2024 season, showing no wear and tear from carrying the target of the rest of the state for the past two years. Winners of 51 sets (and losers in only 6), the Pirates have been led by a plethora of depth and talent up and down the roster, starting with the hitters that include sophomores Cole Hauser (130 kills, 63 digs, 13 aces) and Myles Henderson (117 kills, 63 digs, 26 aces). Both have practically identical numbers throughout the stat sheet and both bring a lot of attention to the opposition's defenses. 

On the right side, freshman Kam Vakilian has stepped up and been a force for Coast with 98 kills to go along with 23 digs and 46 total blocks. In all, TWELVE different OCC players have recorded 20-or-more kills this year, as head coach Travis Turner has mixed and matched his talented club all season long, giving everyone as much opportunity as possible to showcase their talents.

Feeding his multi-headed beast are the two Pirate setters -- sophomore Landon Seymour and Jace Fukushima. Seymour -- captain of the 2024 Pirates -- leads the way with 324 assists and 57 digs, while Fukishima has made the most of his time with 202 assists and 32 digs.

Anchoring the defense for Coast has been freshman libero Jacob Bayston with 95 digs -- a stat that has the Pirates holding a 476-400 edge on the rest of the field this year.

For the visiting Vaqueros, do NOT let the near-.500 record decieve you. SBCC opened the season 2-5 before turning things up a notch to finish the regular season with wins in seven of their last 10 contests. Among the nine wins this year are a pair of wins against fellow playoff teams, including a three-set win against Moorpark College and a three-set win over OEC neighbor, Irvine Valley.

Sophomore outside hitter Cole Richards is the leader of the SBCC offense with 191 kills to go along with 70 digs, 29 total blocks and 17 aces. Close behind on the offensive depth chart is sophomore Andreas Schuetz with 117 kills, 46 digs and 20 total blocks and sophomore opposite Cameron Brown with 94 digs, 31 digs and a team-best 45 total blocks. Sophomore setter Gavin Kristic paces the offense with the 393 assists and he also anchors the defense with 103 digs. 

The winner of Friday's quarterfinal match will advance to the State Final Four -- also at Orange Coast College -- which is set for Thursday, April 25 and Saturday, April 27. That winner will take on the winner of the Santa Monica/Long Beach City match on April 25 at 7 p.m.