Vikings continue to hold down top spot in CCCMVCA Coaches Poll
IRVINE, Calif. - Long Beach City easily held on to its No. 1 spot in the California Community College Men’s Volleyball Coaches Association State Poll.
The Vikings received the No. 1 vote from all coaches in the state after winning both of their matches last week and moving to 4-0 overall. Long Beach City swept at Golden West, 25-11, 25-14, 25-15 on Wednesday and then did the same at San Diego Mesa on Friday, coming out on top, 25-17, 25-11, 25-16.
Long Beach City has won 12 of 13 sets so far this year. Noah Taitano had nine kills and hit .389, Marques Buggs had eight kills and hit .357 and Andrew Pearson finished with seven kills and hit .700 in LBCC’s win over Mesa last Friday.
Orange Coast (4-1) moved up a spot in the rankings to No. 2 this week after three wins. The Pirates swept Moorpark, 25-19, 25-22, 25-16, last Friday at Cal Lutheran and then swept UC Santa Cruz and El Camino at Cal Lutheran on Saturday. OCC has earned sweeps in all four of its wins so far this season.
Fullerton and Irvine Valley tied for third place in the poll. Fullerton rallied from two sets down to beat Pierce last Wednesday on the road, 17-25, 23-25, 25-23, 29-17, 15-13.
The Hornets hit .388 as a team for the match and were led by Javier Zavala with 11 kills, Jacob Van Der Beek with 10 kills and Charlie Juarez with seven kills. Brian Marquez ran the offense with 46 assists and contributed four blocks.
Irvine Valley tied with Fullerton for third in the poll after a four-set win over Hope International last Wednesday at home and then sweeping St. Katherine on Friday at home. IVC saw Sean Carroll finish with 16 kills, Matt August end with 14 kills, hit .700 and have eight blocks and Patrick Furlong chip in 13 kills in its 25-18, 22-25, 27-25, 25-17 victory over Hope International.
Pierce dropped three spots to No. 5 after its five-set loss to Fullerton in what was the match of the week. Pierce responded with a 25-19, 25-15, 25-12 win over Golden West at home on Friday. The Brahmas got 10 kills and five aces from Jayson Moore and nine kills from Cole Chea in the win. Pierce plays at Orange Coast on Wednesday night.
| CCCMVCA State Poll (Feb. 6) | ||
| Rk | School | Record |
| 1. | Long Beach City | 4-0 |
| 2. | Orange Coast | 4-1 |
| T3. | Fullerton | 1-0 |
| T3. | Irvine Valley | 3-1 |
| 5. | L.A. Pierce | 2-1 |
| 6. | Santa Barbara City | 3-0 |
| 7. | El Camino | 1-1 |
| 8. | Santa Monica | 1-2 |
| 9. | Antelope Valley | 3-1 |
| 10. | Moorpark | 0-2 |
| Others receiving votes: Santiago Canyon, S.D. Miramar, Golden West, Grossmont | ||
(Brent Shaver, Irvine Valley College Athletics)