Pirates to play for state title

The Orange Coast College men’s volleyball team took out the defending state champion Thursday and will try to capture the crown tonight.

The Pirates (18-2) will play for their first California Community College Athletic Assn. title since 1994 when they go up against Moorpark (15-4) at OCC’s gym at 7.

It is OCC’s 13th appearance in the state final, its second in the last three seasons. The Pirates will be playing for their sixth state championship.

Sophomore outside hitter Brad Hemmerling recorded 29 kills to lead OCC to a 30-26, 30-25, 28-30, 30-27 semifinal win over Long Beach. Troy Tomasello, who had 18 kills, Harrison Carroll, who had 12 kills, and setter Paul Leon, who had 60 assists, are also key players for the Pirates.

Moorpark, which won its first state title in 2005, upset Irvine Valley in the other semifinal, 30-22, 30-24, 28-30, 31-33, 15-13. Josh Howley led with 24 kills, Kyle Auge had 18 kills and Adam Quinn amassed 74 assists.

Irvine Valley libero Nick Castello, the Pacific Coast Conference Player of the Year bound for Hawaii, did not play in the fifth set against Moorpark. Castello left late in the fourth set because of severe leg cramps.

“That’s going to be a great match — two really disciplined teams going at it,� Turner said of facing Moorpark. “We played them to a hard-fought five-game win at our place [Feb. 19] and we both pass, serve, hit and defend well. We’re going to have to compete on every point and not let up against them.�

In their previous matchup, the Pirates held on for a 23-30, 30-23, 30-21, 25-30, 15-10 win over the visiting Raiders. In 2009, the same two teams met in the regional playoffs, as the Pirates won in five games at OCC.

— From staff reports