Ferraro triggers OCC sweep of Rustlers

COSTA MESA — There are many subtleties involved in a high-level volleyball match, but Orange Coast College men’s volleyball coach Travis Turner didn’t get too complicated after his Pirates swept rival Golden West on Wednesday at OCC.

Turner’s team had lost in three at Golden West on March 14, but the Pacific Coast Conference rematch produced a much more pleasing 30-22, 30-26, 30-25 verdict in OCC’s favor. And, to Turner, the reasons were fairly simple.

“I think it was serving and Corey,” Turner said. “We served the ball pretty tough, and our setter, Corey Ferraro, did a great job. That was probably his best match.”

Both the Pirates (12-6, 8-3 in conference) and the Rustlers (9-7, 7-3) have three conference losses. However, Turner said Orange Coast owns the tiebreaker should the teams finish tied for second behind defending state champion Irvine Valley College, which likely means the Pirates would get a home match in the Southern California regional playoffs.

Ferraro, a freshman from Edison, tallied 41 assists, an impressive number for a three-game match. His favorite target was sophomore Kevin Welch, the Corona del Mar High product who pounded a match-high 18 kills.

“The hitters were doing a great job putting the ball away,” Ferraro said. “We just played well together. It’s all confidence. If you think you can make the set, usually you can, and if you doubt yourself then [the ball’s] going to come off weird.”

Welch showed confidence as well, despite being bothered by a lower back injury that he aggravated in last week’s five-game loss to Irvine Valley, in which Welch became the school’s career kills leader. The injury caused Welch to miss Friday’s match against San Diego Mesa.

Welch said he was fine after playing Golden West. He now has 369 kills this year, tied for second on the Orange Coast single-season list behind Jason Crone’s 389 kills in 1995.

“I told the team before the match this was a statement week,” Welch said. “We got smashed at [Golden West]. We definitely came in with a different intensity this match. Maybe we should start doing it every match.”

Orange Coast jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first game, behind two kills from freshman middle blocker Mike Stewart, who finished with 10 kills and a .526 hitting percentage. The Pirates pushed the lead as high as eight points three different times in the game, including when freshman opposite Tucker Alleborn ended the game with a service ace off the back line.

In Game 2, the Pirates were down, 8-6, but Welch served seven consecutive points — including two of his three aces — as Orange Coast took the momentum and the game.

Golden West battled to a 23-22 lead in Game 3, but Orange Coast ended the match on an 8-2 run. The last five points ended via a Rustlers hitting violation.

Freshman libero Andrew Pizula added five digs for the Pirates.

Sophomore Gary Slade had a team-high 10 kills and two aces for the Rustlers. Costa Mesa High product Mitch Caldwell, a freshman middle blocker, added four kills.

OCC closes its regular season Wednesday at home against San Diego City at 6 p.m.

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or at matthew.szabo@latimes.com.