Pirates quickly return to win column with four-set victory over Gauchos
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saddleback (5-4, 0-1) | 23 | 18 | 25 | 17 | 1 |
|
Orange Coast (8-1, 1-0) | 25 | 25 | 16 | 25 | 3 |
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College women's volleyball team quickly moved past Wednesday's loss to El Camino and responded with a solid, four-set, Orange Empire Conference-opening win over visiting Saddleback College on Friday night inside the Peterson Gym.
Joceline Martinez led the Pirate attack with 15 kills, while Bailey Coffin added kills, Mahina Kenoi knocked down seven and Lily Johnson came up with six.
Setter Thea Snider dished out 33 assists for the Pirates (7-1, 1-0). For the Gauchos (5-4, 0-1), Ronnie Robinson led the way with 16 digs, while Kenzie Huston added 12.
In an opening set that went back and forth, Coast trailed late, 22-20 and after an OCC timeout, the Pirates took advantage of four unforced errors by the Gauchos down the stretch to rally for a 25-23 win.
Coast trailed 16-12 in the second set, only to have the strong serves of Kenoi and back-to-back kills from Coffin ignite an 8-0 outburst, putting Coast up, 20-16. Saddleback could only muster two points the rest of the way as the Pirates jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the match.
It was Saddleback's turn to used a late-set run to its advantage, turning a 12-9 deficit into an 18-13 lead, a lead the Gauchos would not relinquish the rest of the set.
But it was all-OCC in the fourth set as the Pirates broke free from the Gauchos with a 15-6 start and cruised to victory from there.
The Pirates will return to action on Wednesday at Golden West College before returning to the Peterson Gym on Friday against Fullerton. Both matches will kick off at 6 p.m.
