Orange Coast sweeps Irvine Valley in battle of top two teams in the state

In a matchup between two of the top teams in the state, the No. 2-ranked Orange Coast College men's volleyball team took care of business against No. 1-ranked Irvine Valley and swept past the host Lasers, 25-20, 25-11, 25-15, on Friday night.

The Pirates (13-1, 3-0 in Orange Empire Conference), winners of 12 straight, played a flawless match and controlled things against the Lasers (11-2, 2-1) right from the opening point. Coast was led by sophomore Justin Kam, who had 14 kills and a .545 hitting percentage.

Middle blockers Brad Hankus and Austin Marriott combined for 11 kills on 15 swings with zero errors, while sophomore opposite Matt Ujkic notched seven kills on eight swings (no errors) and added three blocks. 

Setters Jacob Gilliam and Colby Elder combined for 36 assists.
For the Lasers, who had their eight-match winning streak snapped, were led by freshman middle blocker Matt August, who had five kills and two blocks, while freshman outside hitter Brennan To, freshman outside hitter Patrick Furlong and sophomore outside hitter Ruben Lopez each had three kills.

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