OCC, runner-up to Irvine Valley in the Pacific Coast Conference, handed Long Beach its only loss of the season, a 30-25, 30-20, 30-28 thumping on the Vikings’ floor Feb. 12.
“Long Beach is extremely physical and I think [the Vikings] are going to be gunning for us after we beat them pretty badly at their place,” OCC Coach Travis Turner said.
Turner admitted he didn’t expect Santa Monica (6-11) to pose much of a threat.
“[The Corsairs] have improved a lot and we were kind of basing [our preparation] on what we saw the last time,” Turner said. “They weren’t very good the last time we played them.”
OCC won, 30-25, 30-27, 33-31, in the first meeting with the Corsairs, who forged a 29-25 lead in the opening game Tuesday.
But freshman opposite Justin Johnson came to the rescue for the Pirates, serving four straight points after a Brad Hemmerling kill, including a jump-serve ace, to put the Pirates on top, 30-29.
Santa Monica knotted it at 30-30, but a serving error and a hitting error by the Corsairs allowed the Pirates to stay on pace for the sweep.
“[The Corsairs] kind of out-volleyballed us there,” Turner said of the first-game scare. “They dug more balls and passed better than we did.”
Santa Monica seized a 4-0 lead in Game 2 and was ahead, 8-5, before OCC began assuming control. Freshman outside hitter Harrison Carroll scored four OCC points in a row with kills to help the Pirates pull even, 8-8.
OCC eventually pushed the lead to four, the final time at 25-21, before the Corsairs rallied to take a 26-25 advantage.
But Carroll, who led all players with 16 kills, posted back-to-back kills to give OCC the lead for good.
