OCC handles Rustlers

When it came to motivational themes for Friday’s crucial Pacific Coast Conference men’s volleyball match between district rivals, Orange Coast College Coach Travis Turner had a few choices.

There was the revenge factor, with Golden West having topped the Pirates in five games on March 9.

There was the importance of a share of first place on the line, with OCC entering one-half match behind the Rustlers in the PCC standings.

And there was the sense of urgency mandated by a tiebreaker format that required the Pirates to win in four games in order to edge the Rustlers, in the likely event they wind up co-champions.

In the end, however, it was more physiology than psychology that propelled the Pirates to a 25-12, 25-21, 25-23 triumph that leaves them in prime position to be the conference’s No. 1 playoff representative.

That distinction would mean a bye in the regional playoffs and an automatic berth in the state final four, something Turner believes is worth fighting for.

“It means a lot,” Turner said of the first-round bye. “It’s just another match we don’t have to play.”

The Pirates (16-2, 9-1 in conference) played as if they were looking for a bigger reward than just victory Friday. OCC won its seventh straight match and recorded its 14th sweep of the season.

And while the hosts relied on their customary balance, it was Rustler buster, freshman Will Donald, who earned the individual spotlight. The 6-foot-5 middle blocker led the winners with 10 kills, his season-best. And his six total blocks (one solo and five block assists) matched his season high. In two conference matches against Golden West, Donald has 19 kills. In his next three most productive contests, he totaled 16 kills.

“He’s good,” Turner said of Donald, who also played for Turner’s Balboa Bay club program. “[The Rustlers] were a little small in the middle, so we took advantage.”

Freshman outside hitter Gianluca Grasso had nine kills, five digs, three aces and two block assists to help OCC’s cause, while sophomore Adrian Faitalia chipped in six kills, seven digs, one solo stuff and two block assists.

Sophomore setter Jake Adams, an Irvine Valley transfer who began the season No. 3 on the depth chart behind two returners, had 32 assists on the Pirates’ 38 kills. He also chipped in three aces to help OCC post a 6-1 advantage in that department.

Golden West (14-3, 8-1), coached by former Estancia High head man Paul Muñoz, had 25 kills, 11 of which were produced by sophomore outside hitter Vincent Pizzuti.

The Rustlers’ starting middle blockers combined for a mere three kills and only one block assist.

Freshman opposite Wyatt Henson (six kills) and freshman middle blocker Matthew Ujkic (five) both had two block assists to help the hosts, who halted Golden West’s nine-match winning streak.

OCC, which swept the Rustlers in a tournament meeting in late January, is responsible for Golden West’s only two three-set defeats.

“When we lost in five [at Golden West, the Rustlers] played really well,” Turner said. “I thought we played well [Friday]. If we pass the ball, we’re pretty tough to defend, because we have five or six guys who can put the ball away. That makes a big difference.”

Another advantage, Turner said, is the strength of Faitalia, from Hawaii, and Grasso, a native of Brazil, on the left side.

“We’ve had some good teams here, but all those only had one guy on the left side,” Turner said. “We have two. Faitalia is the best player in the conference, I think and Grasso is a freak of nature.”

OCC seized control early, scoring four of the match’s first five points. And after Golden West closed to within 9-7, OCC went on a 13-3 run that created a 22-10 bulge.

Golden West led early in the final two games, and was within a point late in each of those games. But the Pirates scored the final three points to close out Game 2, and pulled away in the clinching set.

Golden West led, 14-13, in Game 3, and the score was tied at 14, 15, 17, 18, 19 and 20.

A Donald kill and a combined stuff block from Ujkic and Grasso put OCC up, 22-20, in the third set. Two missed OCC serves and two Grasso kills created match point, and the Rustlers served into the net to give OCC its biggest victory of the season.

“We were really focused, because of the loss we took against them a couple weeks ago,” Donald said. “Driving home from that loss in our team vans, we were already thinking about being ready to play those guys again.”

OCC has four regular-season matches remaining, three against teams at the bottom of the standings and all four against teams the Pirates swept in the first round of conference play.