Daily Pilot Athlete of the Month: B.J. Lightvoet--The spike in

OCC’s drink

Tony Altobelli

Orange Coast College men’s volleyball player B.J. Lightvoet just

wrapped up his freshman season with 351 kills, fifth-most for one season

in Pirates’ school history.

And it translates into Daily Pilot College Athlete of the Month honors

for the month of April.

Not too shabby for a freshman who was happy just to put on the OCC

uniform.

“Honestly, all I wanted to do was make the team and produce in some way,”

Lightvoet said. “I’m very happy I was able to be a big part of our

offense this year and I hope to contribute even more next year.”

For Pirates Coach and former Costa Mesa High setter Chuck Cutenese,

seeing the former Mustang Lightvoet cross the street to join the Bucs was

a welcome sight.

“I was so excited to finally bring a fellow Mesa alumnus over to my

team,” Cutenese said. “He’s got a ton of natural ability and with his

leaping ability, he’s going to get better and better as he continues to

mature as a player.”

For Lightvoet, comparing Mesa resumes with Cutenese can still bring out

some humorously heated discussions.

“Him and I are always talking about who was the best Costa Mesa grad to

play for OCC,” Lightvoet laughed. “Unfortunately, he was a setter, so we

really can’t compare numbers too much.”

One thing Lightvoet has over Cutenese, besides about seven inches of

height, is a high school win over Laguna Beach. As a senior at Mesa,

Lightvoet helped guide the Mustangs over the Artists for the first time

in school history.

“That was so awesome,” he said. “That was, without a doubt, the best

athletic moment I’ve had so far.”

Now at Coast, Lightvoet used his 40-inch vertical leap to lead the

Pirates’ into the first round of the playoffs despite being 6-foot-1, a

rather small height in the world of community college outside hitters.

“I try to be quicker than the blockers,” Lightvoet said. “Quick in the

air and quick with my arm swing. If I can get up before the blockers,

then I can be successful.”

For Cutenese, he’s been most impressed with other facets of his game,

besides the vertical.

“His all-around game is really coming together,” Cutenese said. “His

defense has gotten much better, as well as his serving and his defense.”

Lightvoet led or tied the Pirates in kills 12 times this season over a

course of 23 matches. Being able to jump 11-foot-6 sure helps.

“I was able to dunk a basketball when I was a sophomore in high school,”

Lightvoet said. “I was never good enough to play basketball, however. I

played soccer growing up, but I got hurt, so I got into volleyball.”

With his ability and physical gifts, Cutenese sees a bright future for

Lightvoet.

“If this kid doesn’t play at the Division I level, I’d be extremely

surprised,” Cutenese said. “He’s got to do the work on the court as well

as in the classroom and with his tools, everything else will fall into

place.”

When he’s not rocking the volleyball world, Lightvoet is rocking the

house as a bass player in a rock band named Tucker.

“We’re have a pop-punk-rock kinda sound,” Lightvoet said. “It’s a fun

hobby, that’s for sure.”

Lightvoet is majoring in English and would like to be a teacher and

volleyball coach after his playing days are over.