Anderson named Male Athlete of the Year

COSTA MESA -- Fresh off of leading his team to the state title, Orange Coast College men's volleyball standout, Will Anderson, was named the 2021-22 OCC Male Athlete of the Year, as voted on by the head coaches, for the 2021-22 school year.

Anderson, who also earned the Orange Empire Conference's Most Valuable Player as well as State Tournament MVP honors last year, ripped 250 kills, to go along with 40 aces, 87 digs and 32 total blocks. His 250 kills led the state, as did his 40 aces, helping propel to the Pirates to a 20-1 record and the school's eighth overall state title and the school's 95 state championship.

For Anderson, it's been a three-year journey with the Pirates that saw the heartbreak of losing to Irvine Valley in the state semis in 2019 and in the OEC title match in 2021 as well as the frustration of losing the end of the 2020 campaign to the COVID pandemic. Year 1 saw Anderson and the Pirates win 22 straight to start the season, only to see Irvine Valley trip OCC up in the State Semifinals in 2019. 

The 2020 season ended early due to COVID and 2021 was limited to just conference matches. Again, a perfect season was stunted by the Lasers in the OEC finale, setting up the 2022 Revenge Tour for Anderson and the rest of his Pirates. 

Coast, minus a five-set setback to Long Beach early in the season, rolled through the competition, finished the season 20-1 and capped things off with a 25-22, 25-21, 25-22 win over the Vikings on April 23 at the CCCAA Men's Volleyball State Championships. Anderson's 10 kills and four aces helped the sophomore outside hitter earn tourney MVP honors.

Anderson, who will be attending Vanguard University in the fall, finishes his OCC career with 450 kills and 68 aces. While the 450 kills leaves just short of the top-10, his 68 aces is second-most in the history of the Pirate program. His 40 aces this past season is tied with Gianluca Grasso (2016) for No. 2 on the single-season school list.