First men's volleyball poll of the season looks familiar to previous seasons
IRVINE - The 2022 California Community College Men’s Volleyball Coaches Association State Poll looks similar to when the last rankings were posted before that season was shut down because of the pandemic.
A mix of Orange Coast, Long Beach City and Irvine Valley at the top.
Orange Coast is the top-ranked team in the state in the opening poll, heading into Orange Empire Conference play this week.
The Pirates have a record of 9-1 overall with their only defeat coming against the team right behind them, Long Beach City, which happened in five sets, last month.
OCC has six sweeps heading into this week and has also defeated No. 2 LBCC and No. 4 Miramar in five sets so far.
Opposite Will Anderson is leading Orange Coast at 3.94 kills per set and also paces the state with 130 total kills.
Long Beach City comes in next at No. 2 with a solid squad. The Vikings have scored victories over OCC and IVC (both in five sets). Long Beach City has a record of 8-1 overall and is already 3-0 in the South Coast Conference.
Erik Hernandez has shined for the Vikings. He leads the state, averaging 5.05 kills per set. And Julian Zavala is not far behind. Zavala ranks fourth in the state at 3.57 kills per set. Long Beach City has matches at No. 5 Moorpark and No. 6 El Camino in important contests this week.
Irvine Valley ranks No. 3. The Lasers, who stand at 10-2, start Orange Empire Conference play with a match at Santiago Canyon on Wednesday and host Orange Coast in one of the biggest matches so far this season on Friday.
IVC has had a balanced attack so far with five players over 1.64 kills per set, led by freshman outside hitter Colin Chillingworth, averaging 2.66 kills per set.
Miramar starts at No. 4 after dropping back-to-back, five-set losses to Irvine Valley and Orange Coast. The Jets have four sweeps and play at Palomar on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
For Miramar, Miles Dewhirst is averaging 3.29 kills per set.
The rest of the top 10 poll can be viewed below.
| CCCMVCA POLL (Mar. 8) | ||
| Rk. | School | Record |
| 1. | Orange Coast | 9-1 |
| 2. | Long Beach City | 8-1 |
| 3. | Irvine Valley | 10-2 |
| 4. | San Diego Miramar | 5-3 |
| 5. | Moorpark | 7-4 |
| 6. | El Camino | 5-4 |
| 7. | Santa Monica | 3-4 |
| 8. | Antelope Valley | 3-5 |
| T9. | Santa Barbara City | 3-5 |
| T9. | Fullerton | 6-5 |
(Brent Shaver, CCCMVCA)