David and Goliath had a hard fought battle thousands of years ago, with David unthinkably defeating the giant monster with a stone. Tonight, David and Goliath were resurrected as two volleyball teams vying for a trip to the California Community College Athletic Association State tournament semifinals.
The Moorpark College men’s volleyball team was defeated by Orange Coast College on the volleyball court with a net and volleyball, similar to David defeating Goliath with a stone.
The heavily favored Moorpark College Raiders, even considered to have a run to a State Championship, had their dreams shattered when Sean Martin’s last kill as a Raider sailed helplessly out of bounds, giving the Orange Coast College Pirates a 15-12 victory in five sets (22-30, 30-18, 27-30, 30-28, 15-12).
The loss was certainly an upset, considering the Raiders beat Orange Coast in three sets in the February 12 match-up.
The first game featured a Raider team ready to play, quickly taking a 10-1 lead, leaving the Pirates appearing overmatched against the Raiders. The Pirates struggled to find their offense, and trailed by as much as 10, losing the match 30-22.
However, Orange Coast College did not quit, and did not appear like an undermanned team in the second game, taking a 19-11 lead, and then sealing the deal with a block on a Chris Trauger kill, which gave them a 24-15 lead. Their increased presence on the front line enabled them to block many attacks by Moorpark, as they easily won the match 30-18.
In the third match, the Raiders climbed out on top early 7-4, and kept it at 14-11 after a Jared Furlong kill. The game was sealed after a costly mistake by Pirate Libero Derek Martinez, who hit the ball two consecutive times, giving the Raiders a 23-18 lead, and eventually the match 30-27.
Once again, Orange Coast did not quit and fought resurrected Goliath in Moorpark. The fourth game featured a back-and-forth battle, with each team exchanging points. The Pirates took a 21-17 lead, only to have it taken away at 24-24 on a kill that went out of play. A faulty serve gave Moorpark another shot at the win, but Chris Trauger made an illegal overhand swipe, giving the Pirates a 29-28 lead, and the match 30-28, forcing a fifth game.
Despite the disappointing loss to a huge underdog, Moorpark volleyball coach Steve Burkhart believed his team had something to be proud about.
“I told my players to not hang their head, and be proud with what they have done,” Burkhart said.
“We gave something to Ventura County they have not seen in a while.”
The Raiders volleyball team posted an impressive 15-3 record this season. Including tonight’s playoff loss, their best mark in school history.
Setter Adam Quinn believed his team played well this season, showing great character and unity.
“Obviously it is disappointing to lose like this, but we had a good season,” the Oak Park High graduate said.
“I am very proud of our guys.”
Chris Trauger lead the Raiders with 21 kills, and Middle Blockers Chris Auge and Sean Martin each had 12 kills.
At 12-8 (8-4 conference), Orange Coast College barely slid their way into the playoff bracket, and is now in the CCCAA tournament semifinals. Orange Coast is set to play Golden West College in the semifinals at Irvine Valley College, April 23.
