COMMUNITY COLLEGE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS : Orange Coast Wins Third Straight Title

All season, Orange Coast men’s volleyball Coach Bob Wetzel told his team that the hard work spent conditioning would pay off in the playoffs.

The hours of running, especially up and down the steps of LeBard Stadium on the OCC campus, would be the difference when matches went to a fourth or fifth game.

Wetzel’s words came true Saturday when Orange Coast defeated Long Beach in a four games to win its third consecutive State volleyball title.

OCC was routed in the first game, 15-5, but Long Beach tired in the second game that took nearly 45 minutes and lost, 15-12. The Pirates won the final two games, 15-11, 15-12, to take the title in a warm Los Angeles Pierce College gym.

“After the first game I thought Long Beach started to look tired,” Wetzel said. “Our conditioning was the difference. I think it won three of our last four matches.”

OCC won a five-game match over El Camino after trailing, 2-1, in the Southern California Regionals last week at OCC.

Long Beach (16-3) won the South Coast Conference this season but all three losses came to second-place Orange Coast (22-3).

There were 72 side outs in the second game, including 14 in a row after OCC took a 9-8 lead.

OCC finally broke through with three consecutive points, the first coming on a powerful kill by Masui Allen. He had nine kills in the second game, and 15 in the match.

In the second game, Long Beach rallied to tie it, 12-12, but Lance Lyons served the final three points for the OCC victory. Lyons served 10 points in the game.

OCC was down in the third game, 5-4, but the Pirates rallied for to take a 6-5 lead. After each team had a side out, the match turned on the serving of Dave Hallaway. He had four consecutive aces and OCC was out in front, 10-5. OCC took a 14-8 lead, but Long Beach rallied for three consecutive points to make it 14-11.

OCC missed four consecutive game-point opportunities, but finally won it on a kill by Allen.

OCC led, 12-8, in the final game when Long Beach rallied to get as close as 13-11. OCC missed two game points but won it on a kill by Lyons.

“At a timeout at 12-8 in the last game,” Wetzel said, “I asked them how they liked all those stadium (steps) and they just screamed about it.”