Pirates Sink to Corsairs
The Santa Monica College Corsairs triumphed against the Orange Coast College Pirates on Friday night, improving to 7-1 on the season while remaining undefeated at home. Taking the win in three sets, the Corsairs showcased their depth and unity as players throughout the roster contributed to the win led by State Players of the Week, Mia Whitlock and Quinci Wilder.
Head coach Christain Cammayo went deep into his bench during the match. He emphasized that this team's beliefs begin with winning and losing together.
“I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think they could do it,” Cammayo said.
The first set started with Whitlock helping the Corsairs build a 17-10 lead. The Corsairs men’s volleyball team was in attendance, cheering from the stands for every point scored by the women.
Alessandro Niculesu, a player for the men’s team said to his teammate who was joining in late on the action, “Mia just dominated them,” he said.
The Pirates went on a run to cut the Corsairs’ lead to three points, bringing the score to 20-17. The Corsairs responded by scoring five points straight to close out the set 25-17, with libero Emely Costanza delivering the final point with an ace.
SMC carried the momentum into the second set, coming out with an 8-1 lead, forcing OCC head coach Susie Packard to call a timeout. Cammayo then brought out the reserves, rotating players from his bench into the match. Libero Ava Salamasidis checked in and recorded two aces, while outside hitter Olivia Kilpatrick recorded two kills for herself.
The Corsairs cruised through the second set 25-13, taking a 2-0 lead.
The Pirates began to show some life in the third set as they gained their first lead of the night, scoring to put themselves up 10-9. The Corsairs were forced to call their first time out after a kill from middle blocker Ava Olburg, who put the Pirates up 18-14.
After the timeout, Wilder responded with a heavy kill.“We were down and we needed something to pick us up,” she said, “Lucy set me up perfectly and it was tunnel vision from there.”
Whitlock came in as a vocal leader on the court for her team. Starting the game as an outside hitter, she checked in as libero in the third set. Cammayo praised her versatility and leadership.
“Mia is a pure growth mindset person, she’s able to contribute in every position,” he said. “ Sets the tone for the team with a leader like that.”
The third set remained close toward the end of the match with OCC calling a timeout after the Corsairs cut the lead down to one point, putting the score at 18-19, Pirates up. Middle blocker Anna Hocket recorded a kill of her own to tie the set at 24-24. Middle blocker Allison Cumming and setter Lucy White scored the final two points to close out the final set 26-24.
The victory came two days after falling to Long Beach on Wednesday night. The Corsairs will return home for their next matchup against Los Angeles Mission College at 5:00 p.m. on Sept. 16.