Golden West, Saddleback Collide Again in Volleyball

Golden West and Saddleback, the top two women’s volleyball teams in the state, meet in a key Orange Empire Conference match at 7 tonight at Saddleback.

Golden West (17-0, 10-0) is ranked No. 1 in the state and holds a one-match lead over No. 2 Saddleback (16-3, 9-1) with four left.

Golden West is the only team to beat Saddleback this season. The Rustlers won the first conference meeting in three games Oct. 16 and swept the Gauchos again the next day in the tournament of Champions in Santa Barbara.

The teams met Oct. 18 in the tournament final with Saddleback winning the first two games before the Rustlers fought off four match points while winning the next three games to take the match.

Saddleback returns three starters from last season’s team that beat Golden West in the second conference meeting. The teams shared the title. Outside hitter Gina Stivers, one of those starters, leads the conference in kills per game with 4.4.

Golden West outside hitter Lori Daedelow, a freshman, is second in kills with 3.8. The Rustlers have won five consecutive state championships.