Golden West downs Moorpark, joins Orange Coast, San Diego Mesa and Long Beach City in men's volleyball semis

CCCAA Men's Volleyball Quarterfinals l Bracket 
(1) Orange Coast 3, (8) Santa Barbara City 0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-20)
(4) Long Beach City 3, (5) Santa Monica 2 (25-17, 21-25, 17-25, 25-21, 15-11)
(3) San Diego Mesa 3, (6) Irvine Valley 0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-18)
(2) Golden West 3, (7) Moorpark 1 (25-20, 25-23, 19-25, 29-27)

HUNTINGTON BEACH - Golden West men's volleyball (16-4, 5-3 OEC) defeated the Moorpark Raiders (12-8, 8-4 OEC) in the quarterfinals, 3-1 (25-20, 25-23, 19-25, 29-27), advancing to the 3C2A Men's Volleyball Championship semifinals on Thursday where they'll join Orange Coast, San Diego Mesa and Long Beach City.

In Head Coach Nick Amado's second year at the helm, he took his team into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed. Golden West welcomed Moorpark in a rematch of the first game of the season. Back in January, the Raiders hosted the season opener where the Rustlers won their first game in five sets, 3-2. Now in the playoffs, No. 2 Golden West welcomed the No. 6 Raiders for the 3C2A Quarter-finals. The Rustlers welcomed their opponent with a dominant first set. The home team kept a healthy and consistent edge to win the first set by five, 25-20. 

Golden West played from behind in the second set but earned the momentum and took a three-point advantage late, 23-20. The Raiders crept back in with three unanswered points but the Rustlers held strong for the second set win, 25-23. Down by five midway through the third set, Moorpark took control, 12-17. The Raiders continued their five-point advantage deep into the third set as they led 15-21. Though Golden West made a small comeback, it was not enough as they dropped the third set, 19-25. 

Moorpark came out strong to start the fourth set with two unanswered points, 0-2. Halfway through the set, the Rustlers made a huge comeback and electrified the crowd, 8-12. Though, the Raiders did not surrender and kept their lead. The court and bleachers were loud as the home team came within two, 12-14. Golden West was one point away from tying as Reggie Ah-hong finished a rally with a strong kill, 17-18. On a deflection out of bounds, the Rustlers tied it at 19 apiece. Curtis Harper exploded the arena with an enormous spike kill to tie the matchup again, 23-23. It was a back-and-forth intense finish for both sides. Each team was down to their last point as Moorpark faced elimination. Driven into extra play, the Rustlers persevered and finished off the exciting night with a playoff win, 29-27. 

(Golden West College Athletics)