Gauchos cast aside Pirates

The Saddleback women's volleyball team picked up a big win on Friday with a three-set victory over Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.  The Gauchos moved into a tie for third place in the Orange Empire Conference with the win.

Saddleback was facing an OCC program with only one loss on the season and wanted to make a statement.  The Gauchos did just that, sweeping past a Pirate team that came into the match oozing with confidence by a count of 25-21, 31-29, 25-22.

With Saddleback up 1-0, the two teams had a marathon set with Saddleback coming out on top.  The Gauchos outlasted the Pirates 31-29 in the longest set of the season, turning aside a Pirate roster that hadn't lost a match on their home court since the opening game of the year.  The win sparked Saddleback to a 25-22 win in the final set for their seventh sweep of the season.

Saddleback had a number of big contributers in the win.  Kelli Dowell led the squad with 15 digs while Antonette Rolda led the team with 24 assists.  Mandy Sides had a team-high 17 kills while Rolda also led the Gauchos with four service aces.

Saddleback is now 10-5 overall and 3-1 in Orange Empire Conference play.  The Gauchos are currently tied with the Pirates for third place in conference play, ½-game back of Golden West College in the standings and one full game behind first place Irvine Valley.

Saddleback returns home on Wednesday when they host Santiago Canyon College at the Saddleback Gymnasium.  Match time with the Hawks is scheduled for 6:00 PM.