Pirates reclaim OEC title!
HUNTINGTON BEACH -- For the second year in a row, the Orange Empire Conference belongs to the Orange Coast College beach volleyball team.
A year removed from an undefeated OEC campaign, the 2023 Pirates repeated the feat after knocking off Golden West (5-0) and Cypress (5-0) to once again finish the conference portion of the schedule a perfect 10-0.
In the win over the Rustlers, OCC (15-2, 10-0) rolled to straight-set wins in four of the five matches, including the pairs of Paige Cutwright/Alexandra Selivanov (21-6, 21-11), Natalia Brandlin/Rose Whitter (21-8, 21-13), Leah Thibault/Kingsley Mason (21-7, 21-9) and Theresia Amtmann/Izzy Duchaine (21-11, 21-5). In the No. 1 pairs match, the OCC duo of Jesse Coralle/Lexy Mendoza needed some extra time, but they pulled out a 21-13, 18-21, 15-9 win over the Rustlers.
With the regular season in the rear-view mirror, the postseason competition now begins for the Pirates. The OEC Pairs Championships will begin with the play-in matches on Wednesday at 12 p.m. at IVC, while SoCal Team Regionals will begin on May 2 at the site of the highest seed.
