Awai's 18 kills propel Pirates past Tigers
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Riverside | 12 | 14 | 24 | 0 |
|
Orange Coast | 25 | 25 | 26 | 3 |
COSTA MESA -- Evelyn Awai notched 18 kills to lead the Orange Coast College women's volleyball team to a straight-set win over visiting Riverside City College on Friday night inside the Peterson Gym.
Awai's big night and a strong night from middle blocker Alibelle Pilimai (nine kills) helped the Pirates (15-5, 7-4 in Orange Empire Conference) roll to a 25-12, 25-14, 26-24 conference win over the Tigers (8-12, 3-8).
Setter Devyn Holland dished out 29 assists, while on defense, Rylee Adair came up with 15 digs, while Sierra Lim added 10.
For the Tigers, Darricka Hewitt and Marcella Rodriguez each had six kills.
Coast made quick work of the Tigers in the opening set, jumping out to a 14-3 lead and never looking back. Pilimai got things going during that run with three kills, while Awai added a pair to go along with pair of aces from Holland.
Set No. 2 was a carbon copy of set No. 1 as the Pirates again jumped out quickly (14-4) and gave the Tigers no chance to get back into the set. RCC was its own worst enemy during that opening outburst with 10 unforced errors accounting for the majority of OCC's points.
The Tigers picked up the quality of their play in the third set and both teams traded leads back and forth. RCC led 20-17 before a 5-1 run put the Pirates in front, 22-21. After a Riverside timeout, Hewitt earned a kill and a block on back-to-back points to put the Tigers in front, 23-22.
But, after a Coast timeout, an Awai kill and a Savannah Babcock ace put the Pirates ahead 24-23. RCC's Lauren Dunmore notched a solo block to tie the set up at 24, but the Pirates wrapped things up with a long serve by the Tigers and a kill by Aubrey St. Laurent to end the match.
Coast will play at Saddleback College on Wednesday night (6 p.m.) before returning to the Peterson Gym on Friday to host Golden West (6 p.m.).
