The sweet taste of redemption from the forbidden tree of elimination was at its finest for the Moorpark College volleyball team, as they won the state championship in a three-set sweep (30-24, 30-24, 30-25) over Orange Coast College April 24 at Peterson Gymnasium.

The Raiders (16-4) were upset at home in the first round of the playoffs last season by the Pirates (18-3), but the tides turned for the Raiders, who redeemed themselves with a sweep for the state championship, a win on the Pirates’  home floor and the Raiders’ first state championship since 2005.

Even though his team likes to forget about the past, Raiders head coach Steve Burkhart could not help but mention the win over the Pirates as something that was on the team’s agenda.

“There’s no doubt that there was some sweet redemption winning that match,” Burkhart said in a phone interview. “I have said it all year long we have gotten better…and it’s very gratifying when you play your best match at the end of the year.”

The journey to the ship included two victories to teams that the Raiders had lost to in the regular season: a five-set win over Irvine Valley College in the state semifinals and the icing on the cake of redemption in the state championship game.

According to Burkhart, the Raiders had a memorable season last year, but the first round exit was something that was hard to forget.

“We had a great year last year but that first round loss [to Orange Coast] hurt, and I think that was one of the motivating factors,” he said.

There were seven sophomores who were a part of that disappointing first round exit last season, and Burkhart believed they were key in helping motivate the team to win it all.

We were definitely a sophomore-led group [this year],” he said. “I think between Adam [Quinn] and [Kyle] Auge and Josh Howley they were consistent believers that they could make this happen from day one. They just reinforced that all the time.”

The Raiders are now 2-0 in the state finals over the program’s 11-year existence, and Burkhart believes this state title provides a nice staple to the validity of the program’s success.

“I think [the state title] adds to the legitimacy to not just Moorpark College, but to Ventura County volleyball,” he said. “This just adds another testament that we are a legitimately strong opponent.”