Golden West downs San Diego Mesa and claims 3C2A Men's Volleyball Championship

COSTA MESA – For the first time since 2013, the Golden West College Rustlers are back on top of the mountain as they topped San Diego Mesa in four sets to capture the state crown at the 3C2A Men's Volleyball State Championships on Saturday inside Orange Coast College's Peterson Gym.

For the top-seeded Rustlers (23-2), Saturday's win not only puts them back on top as the state's best team but also makes amends for their only two losses of the season, both to the Olympians.

"I'm just really happy and incredibly proud," GWC head coach Nick Amado said. "That San Diego Mesa Team is gnarly and they've been gnarly all year against us."

Aiden Powell, the MVP of the State Tournament, led the way with 20 kills to go along with four digs, while Kai Rodriguez added 14 kills and seven digs.

"He's been important to us all year, and he's an incredible volleyball player," Amado said of Powell. "Some people start to count him out because of his size (6'2"), but at the end of the day, if you can play ball, you can play ball and it's nice to know that if we are in trouble, we can just get the ball to the guy with the big arm. His floor defense, his passing, his serving, he's just an all-around incredible volleyball player."

For the third-seeded Olympians (21-4), it was another tough night in the "house of horrors" known as OCC's Peterson Gym. After falling to the host OCC Pirates in last year's state finals, the Olympians came out strong on Saturday and were anchored by their 6-foot-10 outside hitter, Trevor Clark, who ripped 25 kills to go with three digs and a pair of aces. His strong play and their all-around chemistry put the Rustlers on their heels in the opening set as Mesa cruised to take the opener, 25-16.

"After the first set, I told the boys that it can go one of two ways … either we dig our own grave or we find a way to build a ladder," Amado said.

The ladder climb began midway through the second set. Leading 13-12, GWC slowly started to pull away, and the strong serving of Rustler standout Owen Banner played a large part in tying the match at a set apiece. After a Banner kill made it 14-12, three straight aces by Banner and a kill by Powell put the set out of reach at 19-12. From there, the Rustlers did what they had to do to take the second set.

"His service pressure all year has been huge for us," Amado said. "And sometimes his first one misses, but I always tell him that I will always believe in what he does back there, no matter the result. If there's one guy who has the green light, it's going to be him."

In the third set, Golden West's defense simply wouldn't allow the Olympians to recover from an early Rustler lead as several mini-runs pushed GWC ahead, 22-17.

Mesa tried to push back and kills by Ethan Hornyak and Julian Montes, followed by a GWC hitting error brought the Olympians back to within two at 22-20.

But Powell and A.J. Kuebrich put Golden West on the verge of match point, which it converted with a kill by Rodriguez, giving the Rustlers a 25-21 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.

"Winning state means a lot to me," Powell said after the match. "I had a vision this year to transfer and play at a junior college and got the opportunity with my coach to play here. I always wanted the opportunity to play and to earn it. It just means a lot to me. Mesa has some big hitters, but we just decided to serve tough against them, be aggressive, and not be scared."

Much like the previous two sets, GWC jumped out in front and grabbed a 13-6 advantage, with the offense clicking on all cylinders.

Again, the Olympians tried to play catch-up and used an 8-2 run to pull to within a point at 15-14, thanks in large part to four big kills off the arm of Clark.

But, with Banner back on serve, the Rustlers ripped off five points in a row to give Golden West a comfortable 20-14 advantage. From there, it was just a matter of time and for championship point, Banner ripped a kill to send the Rustlers players and coaches onto the floor.

The championship brings Amado back full circle. After winning a state title as a member of the OCC Pirates in 2014, it seems only fitting that he wins his first as a coach on the same Peterson Gym floor, where he got his most important opportunity.

"It's very poetic in a sense," Amado said. "This was the place that gave me my biggest opportunity, where I learned volleyball from (OCC head coach) Travis Turner and we play the one team we didn't beat all year in the gym where I started my college career in. I'm really grateful that the higher powers that be put me in a position like this and to live a life like this." 

(Tony Altobelli, Orange Coast College Athletics)