Whitter, Pirates storm past Tigers
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Riverside (5-14, 2-9) | 16 | 21 | 17 | 0 |
|
Orange Coast (15-4, 8-3) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
COSTA MESA -- It's good to have depth on a championship-caliber roster and the Orange Coast College women's volleyball team showed just that on Wednesday night as the Pirates rolled past visiting Riverside City College in three sets, inside the Peterson Gym.
With one of their big hitters sidelined with an injury, backup outside hitter Rose Whitter promptly stepped up and ripped 16 kills and added eight digs to lead the 17th-ranked Pirates (15-4, 8-3) to a 25-16, 25-21, 25-17 Orange Empire Conference win over the visiting Tigers (5-14, 2-9).
Leah Thibault added 11 kills, while in the middle, Natalia Brandlin and Paige Cutwright combined for 13 kills and just two hitting errors on 23 attempts to go along with four blocks.
Setter Grace Holmgren dished out 38 assists and added 12 digs for OCC, while Emily Payne had a team-best 19 digs to go along with seven assists.
With the win, the Pirates maintain at least a share of second place in the very-tight OEC standings, just two games behind Irvine Valley (14-4, 10-1), with Santa Ana (14-3, 7-3), Cypress (15-6, 7-4) and Golden West (9-8, 6-5) close behind as the season heads towards the finish line.
The next three matches can help separate the Pirates from the rest of the middle of the pack as they host Golden West on Wednesday (4 p.m.), followed by a road matchup at Cypress on Friday (6 p.m.) and home again against Santa Ana on Nov. 9 (6 p.m.).
