Pierce Gives Golden West Five, Captures State Championship

An unthinkable fourth game led to an improbable final one Saturday night, and the moment the Pierce College men’s volleyball team has been thinking about for a year.

Pierce fought off seven Golden West match points to win game four and rode the momentum into a match-clinching fifth to win the state championship, 12-15, 15-12, 5-15, 17-16, 15-9, and avenge a five-game loss to the Rustlers the final last year.

The Brahmas halted Golden West’s state championship streak at five.

Pierce’s Lance Walker finished with 62 kills. Six of his 20 kills in the fourth game came during the fateful moments that spelled the end for Golden West and had the crowd at Irvine Valley College yelling.

Walker’s tear through the fourth game came after his six hitting errors helped Golden West take an 8-7 lead. He came back to lead his team to five consecutive points. The Rustlers came back to tie the game at 13-13 when Anthony Medel and David Cornett blocked Walker, and eventually went ahead, 16-15.

The Rustlers got no further, though, as Walker pounded five consecutive kills and Ryan Murdock drilled the final kill of the game.

“Walker is a clutch player, he wants the ball at all times,” said Pierce Coach Greg Vernovage. “They really came back in that fourth game. I told them they were not having their best match and that we’re capable of turning it around.”

The Brahmas (15-4) dominated serve in the fifth game, as Golden West (14-5) failed to win a point off serve until they cut the Pierce lead to 13-9. Pierce went on to blow the ball past the Rustler block and win the match.

Medel led the Rustlers with 38 kills; Marshall Roberts added 28.

“That fourth game was our chance,” said Golden West Coach Mike D’Alessandro, who had his state title streak snapped at four.