Pirates survive scare at Saddleback and top Gauchos in five
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Orange Coast (9-1, 1-0) | 20 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
|
Saddleback (3-6, 0-1) | 25 | 18 | 26 | 19 | 10 | 2 |
MISSION VIEJO -- The Orange Coast College women's volleyball team was pushed to the limit on Friday night at Saddleback College against a feisty Gauchos squad, but in the end, the Pirates prevailed, 20-25, 25-18, 24-26, 25-19, 15-10, in both team's Orange Empire Conference opener.
Both teams traded sets all night long. Saddleback (3-6, 0-1 in OEC) came out strong and never relinquished the lead in the opener, before OCC (9-1, 1-0) battled back to even the match.
In the third set, both teams traded points down the stretch before the Gauchos pushed across two straight to pull out a 26-24 win.
With the fourth set tied at 17, Coast pulled away late and carried that momentum into the fifth set, a set which the Pirates never trailed.
Danyelle Brown dominated play for the Pirates with 22 kills and 29 digs. Defensive standouts Katie Duhoux (26 digs) and Alisa Ricciardi kept the points alive for OCC, while setter Measha Lindstrand dished out 45 assists.
Coast returns to action on Wednesday at home against Cypress, beginning at 6 p.m.
