Pirates ramp things up late, outlast Lasers in five

COSTA MESA -- The second of back-to-back big tests for the Orange Coast College men's volleyball team came back with honor roll-type grades as the defending state champs found another gear and topped rival Irvine Valley in five sets on Wednesday night inside the Peterson Gym.

In a matchup between two of the most storied programs in recent California Community College men's volleyball history, Wednesday's battle lived up to the hype as both teams battled back and forth before the Pirates turned up the energy in the final two sets and rallied for a 25-23, 22-25, 23-25, 25-15, 15-7 Orange Empire Conference win over the Lasers.

With the win, the state's top-ranked Pirates (13-0, 4-0 in the OEC) take a one-match lead for the top spot in the conference standings, while the No. 3-ranked Lasers drop to 9-5 overall, 3-1 in conference.

Kam Vakilian led the Pirate offense with 12 kills and four total blocks, while Cole Hauser added 11 kills and Jacob Surette slammed down nine kills to go with nine block assists.

Landon Seymour dished out 32 assists, while Jase Fukushima added 16.

With two of the top-three ranked teams in the same gym, the chances of a LONG match were high and the opening set didn't the change that theory. Both teams traded punches early and often, with neither team carrying a lead bigger than four throughout most of the set.

Leading 18-16, Coast took advantage of three straight hitting errors by IVC to grab a 21-16 advantage. But the Lasers would send over one final push, using a 7-3 run to pull to within a point, forcing OCC into a timeout at 24-23. That timeout proved effective as the next IVC serve after the pause sailed into the net, giving Coast a 25-23 win.

It looked early on in the second set that the Pirates were going to take command of the match as their near-perfect play sent OCC into a 15-8 lead over the Lasers. But, a 7-1 spurt pulled the Lasers to within a point at 16-15 as Drake Goering's kill and back-to-back aces helped fuel the comeback effort. Coast took a breath and pushed back out to a 20-17 advantage, only to see Matt Reid come into the forefront with a kill and back-to-back aces to tie the score at 20. A block by Goering and a wide kill attempt by OCC pushed the Lasers in front, 22-20 and after a Pirate point, a block and kill from Grand Dvorak and an ace from Damon Kooiman gave IVC the second set and new life with the match tied at a set apiece.

Another close set took place in the third, with IVC carrying the lead through most of it. But, trailing 17-15, Coast used a 5-1 run to grab a 20-18 lead, forcing IVC into a timeout. Strong play by the Lasers and a few unforced errors by the Pirates helped give IVC a 25-23 win and a 2-1 lead in the match, putting OCC behind in sets for just the second time all season long.

But after only scoring 11 points on kills in the third set, the Pirates found their hitting groove in the fourth and came out swinging. Nine of OCC first 11 points came on the kill and the Pirates jumped out to an 11-5 lead. Vakilian and Hauser each had three kills during that run and that strong offensive punch was too much for the Lasers to bounce back from as the lead continued to swell. Coast carried a 21-9 edge before cruising to a 25-15 win to set up the fifth-and-final set to 15 points to decide the winner.

Both teams went back and forth early before an 11-1 run turned a 3-2 deficit into a 13-4 rout of the final set. Finally, at match point, a Myles Henderson put-away ended the contest with Coast taking the fifth, 15-7. 

The Pirates will return to action on Thursday at Fullerton College (4 p.m.). OCC's next home match will take place on Friday, April 5 against Santiago Canyon, beginning at 6 p.m.