Saddleback and IVC women’s volleyball to open seasons
The Saddleback College Gaucho and Irvine Valley College Laser women’s volleyball teams will start off their 2013 seasons Friday night at their respective homes.
SADDLEBACK GAUCHOS vs SOUTHWESTERN JAGUARS
The Gauchos ended the 2012 season with a 5-18 record (3-11 in conference play), finishing in seventh place in the Orange Empire Conference for the seventh year in a row. The last time that Saddleback ended the year with a winning record was 2000, when they ended the year with a 14-9 record and reached the first round of the regional playoffs.
Friday night will be the debut for the new Saddleback head coach, Michelle Quon. Quon was hired to replace former head coach Carmen Stratton in April. Quon served as an assistant coach to Stratton during the 2008 season when the Gauchos finished 4-17.
Saddleback will host the Southwestern College Jaguars Friday night at 5:00 in their season opener. The Jaguars finished their 2012 season with a 6-13 record (3-9 in conference play). Last year, the Gauchos defeated the Jaguars on the road in their second game of the season, sweeping them in three sets (25-20, 25-17, 25-15).
IVC LASERS vs VENTURA PIRATES
The Lasers 2012 season came to a close in the first round of the CCCAA SoCal Regional Playoffs with a five set loss to the El Camino Warriors (17-25, 25-22, 25-19, 18-25, 13-15). IVC finished third in the OEC with a 15-6 record (9-5 in conference).
Despite their early departure from the playoffs, the Lasers had record breaking performances from some of its players. Outside hitter Allie Cook made 334 kills in 2012, the third most in a season in team history, while freshman middle blocker Haley Whyte made 60 block assists, the second most in team history. Cook was also named to the CCCAA All-Region SoCal team.
The Lasers will open their 2013 season against the Ventura College Pirates Friday night at 6:00 in the IVC Gym. The Pirates finished fifth in the Western State North Conference last year with a 3-14 record (0-5 in conference).