OCC’s Lowe to continue volleyball in New York

Orange Coast College sophomore middle blocker Rebecca Lowe will continue her athletic and academic careers at New York Institute of Technology, Pirates women’s volleyball coach Chuck Cutenese said.

Lowe racked up 151 kills and 38 solo blocks, earning second-team, All-Orange Empire Conference honors along the way.

She earned a spot on OCC’s all-time single-season record list with a .448 hitting percentage and was named a team captain for her leadership, both on and off the floor.

Following the season, Lowe won the Coaches Award from Cutenese.

“Rebecca is a remarkable volleyball player and athlete,” Cutenese said about Lowe. “She played middle for us and as an undersized middle held her own and as the season progressed we gave her the ball more.

In her one season with the Pirates, Lowe performed well and jumped right into a new playing system after spending her first year with Westminster College in Utah.

OCC went 15-7 and ended its season in the first round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs.

“She is fast and jumps quick off the ground which allowed her to play middle,” Cutenese said. “She is very approachable and very personable and someone I will keep in touch for a long time. She was the energy on our team and I only wish I was able to have coached her for two seasons.”

Lowe now has a chance to fit in at New York Institute of Technology.

“We saw a tape of how she played and I was very impressed with how she hit the quick ball and I felt that she could make an immediate impact on this program,” NYIT head coach Gail Wasmus said. “She’s a middle blocker with winning experience and I think she’ll have a nice future here at NYIT.”

— From staff reports