Pirates win share of OEC

COSTA MESA — After two tough five-game matches that included a loss at Irvine Valley College, the Orange Coast College women’s volleyball team came home.

What was waiting for the Pirates there was their second consecutive Orange Empire Conference championship, after a 30-11, 30-25, 30-16 win over Saddleback on Wednesday.

OCC finished the regular season 19-2, 12-2 in conference. The Pirates share the conference championship, their ninth overall, with Fullerton, which also finished 12-2 after beating Irvine Valley on Wednesday.

“We won the conference,” said Coach Chuck Cutenese, noting that the Pirates beat Fullerton both times in head-to-head action. “But that part of our season is over now. Anything can happen in playoffs, and we need to be ready.”

The defending state-champion Pirates, ranked No. 3 in the state, will host a first-round Southern California Regional playoff match on Tuesday, with the time and opponent to be determined on Sunday.

The match against Saddleback (4-15, 2-12) came on Sophomore Night, marking the last regular-season game for the Pirates’ remarkable class of Jennifer Chiffer, Angela Roberts, Ashlee Moon, Joanna Johnson, Kissa Kent, Kiwi Winkler and Eva Johnson.

OCC is 45-2 in their two years on the court, including a school-best 36-match winning streak. Winkler, the Pirates’ all-time kills leader with 769 and counting, had 11 kills and nine digs against Saddleback despite playing with water in her knee.

“At this time in the season everyone has injuries,” Cutenese said. “Unfortunately, it happens to be our best player. But she’s got an amazing work ethic and she’s been working in the weight room. We’ll get through it; it’s not going to stop her.”

Four of Winkler’s kills Wednesday came in the first game, when OCC built a 10-2 lead on six straight serves from Moon — including two aces — and cruised from there, taking the game, 30-11.

“We knew we couldn’t take any team for granted,” said Moon, who had a team-high 15 digs. “That was our weakness in the last couple of matches, especially against Irvine. We didn’t take them for what they were worth, but we’re focusing every game right now.”

Saddleback challenged in the second game, even after the Pirates took an 8-2 lead on Chiffer’s kill. OCC was still up, 23-16, after a block by Roberts and Eva Johnson, but the Gauchos rattled off six straight points to pull within one. Up, 25-22, after Roberts’ ace, Cutenese called timeout.

“I believe his words were, ‘How can a team beat a team 30-11 then turn around and have them within three?’” Moon said. “He just told us to pick it up; it’s our last [regular season] game as sophomores.”

Sure enough, Winkler got a pair of kills, Roberts served another ace and OCC was up again, 26-22, carrying the momentum until the game’s end to take a 2-0 lead.

“Last year, we didn’t lose a [match] when we won the state,” Winkler said. “This year, we’ve already lost something, so we don’t have this thing in our head anymore that we’re not allowed to lose. We just play our match, and see how far we can go.”

The third game, Cutenese decided to go with an all-freshman lineup, including Costa Mesa High product Tracy Bjelland, Jacqi Reed, Jill Sorem, Jenna Harp, Jessica Roy and Chelsea Spadaro.

The lineup worked well. Up just 12-9, the Pirates got three kills from Reed to go up 16-11, cruising from there to finish out the match.

Reed had a game-high 13 kills, and Roberts added 26 assists.