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 2004
Citi California Community Colleges
Commission on Athletics
Men’s Volleyball Championship
CHAMPIONSHIP
PREVIEW
One day, two matches. The
final prize: the 2004 state championship.
For Golden West, Orange
Coast, L.A. Pierce and Long Beach, this is the task that lies in front of each
school. The winner will have to claim a pair of victories against two of the
top-ranked teams in the state to be crowned the state champion.
The two Orange Empire Conference
entries, Golden West and Orange Coast, will host their Western State Conference
counterparts in semifinal action starting at 1 p.m. In a rematch of last season's
state championship match at Long Beach City College, top-ranked Golden West
takes on four-time defending champion L.A. Pierce. The Brahmas won that match
in four games last season; the Rustlers won their regular season clash this
time around, also in four games.
The Rustlers are led by
all-state performer Adam Sorenson, who finished third in the state with a .508
hitting percentage. He also posted 1.11 blocks per game, good enough for a third
place total. The Rustlers also boast the middle duo of Mark Lotman and Justin
Walley, who combined for 344 kills and 101 blocks. Mike Gazzano led the state
with 13.1 assists per game in guiding the Rustlers attack.
The defending state champions
have a potent offense of their own, led by last season's state tournament Most
Valuable Player Quentin Wilson. The sophomore outside hitter led the Brahmas
with 224 kills, an average of 4.23 per game. To combat the middle attack of
the Rustlers, Pierce will line up freshmen David Pauls and Oscar Avelar, who
finished first and second, respectively, in hitting percentage while combining
for 345 kills against just 40 errors.
The second semifinal will
be played simultaneously and hosted by Orange Coast against the WSC Champions
from Long Beach. The Pirates won a five-game thriller against the Vikings early
in the season, winning by the slimmest of margins in game five, 15-13. The two
teams return to Peterson Gymnasium with much more at stake the second time around.
The Pirates are led by all-state
performer Poyer Poia, who tallied 240 kills for a 4.3 per game average. Setter
Mike Murphy guided the Coast attack to the tune of 12.5 assists per game while
libero Matt Skolnik led the state with 3.45 digs per game. Uriah Seui claims
the top blocking spot for the Pirates with just under one per game.
The Vikings present a formidable
blocking challenge to the Pirates, boasting the top two blockers in the state.
Larry Taylor led all players with a beefy 1.57 per game, while Jonathan Charette
added 1.13 per outing. Taylor also swung at a .483 clip to go along with a .427
ledger from Malu Seiuli.
The winners will hook up
for the championship match at Golden West College starting at 7 p.m. There will
not be a repeat of last season's final, but one of those teams will have a chance
to add to a combined total of 12 state titles. Orange Coast and Long Beach,
however, will have other ideas and plan to claim the title as its own.
Preview provided by
Eric Montgomery, California Community College Sports Information Association
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