Perfect 8-0 record keeps Pirates in charge of the CCCMVCA poll
IRVINE - Orange Coast held down the top spot without a problem in the third California Community College Men’s Volleyball Coaches Association State Poll of 2019. The Pirates received the top vote in the ranking from every coach for the third straight week.
Orange Coast entered this week with a record of 8-0 and had dropped just three sets all season. The Pirates have swept six of their eight opponents, including beating both Miramar and San Diego Mesa in three straight sets last week. Kyle McCauley had eight kills, three aces and five digs in OCC’s 25-19, 25-14, 25-17 win over Miramar at home on Feb. 19 and he is averaging 3.06 kills and hitting .343 on the year. In fact, Orange Coast is hitting a very impressive .398 as a team on the season. Orange Coast plays Palomar and Grossmont this week as it starts to get ready for the beginning of Orange Empire Conference play. The Pirates will open OEC action March 13 at No. 4 Irvine Valley.
Long Beach City came in at No. 2 once again. The Vikings have a record of 4-2 and took last week off from match action. LBCC was set to play at LA Pierce this Wednesday and then has a huge South Coast Conference opener at No. 3 El Camino on Friday at 6 p.m. that will have huge implications in the polls but also the race for an SCC title.
And No. 3 El Camino has looked good so far this year with a 4-1 record overall. The Warriors came back strong to beat No. 4 Irvine Valley in four sets after dropping the first set at IVC last Friday afternoon, 26-28, 25-22, 25-13, 25-14. Gabriel Vargas-Featherstone had nine kills, Connor Payne finished with eight kills and Cinjun Coe, Cameron Steen and Cruz Padilla each added six kills in the win.
Irvine Valley is at No. 4 once again and has a record of 6-4 entering this week. The Lasers split matches last week, sweeping Grossmont at home on Wednesday before losing to El Camino Friday and seeing their three-match win streak snapped. Sean Carroll is averaging 2.88 kills and Long Beach state signee Grant Marrochi is averaging 2.29 kills, 1.24 blocks and hitting .423 for IVC.
Moorpark and Santa Barbara were close for another week at the fifth and sixth spots with Moorpark edging the Vaqueros for fifth in the poll. The two play each other on Wednesday in another important match. Moorpark has a record of 4-1 entering the week, while Santa Barbara sits at 3-1.
The rest of the top 10 poll can be viewed below.
CCCMVCA State Top 10
1. Orange Coast (8-0)
2. Long Beach City (4-2)
3. El Camino (4-1)
4. Irvine Valley (6-4)
5. Moorpark (4-1)
6. Santa Barbara City (3-1)
7. Golden West (5-2)
8. Santiago Canyon (5-2)
9. Fullerton (4-5)
10. Santa Monica (1-4)
Others receiving votes: Miramar, Palomar, LA Pierce, Grossmont
(Brent Shaver, CCCMVCA)