OEC Volleyball Action Set to Begin on Friday

2023 Orange Empire Conference (OEC) Indoor Volleyball play is set to begin on Friday, September 15th with eight of nine teams scheduled for action.

As a conference, the OEC has fared well in preseason with three teams earning spots in the first release of the 2023 California Community College Women's Volleyball Coaches Association (CCCWVCA) Rankings.

The Irvine Valley Lasers were ranked highest of any member of the conference at No. 5 in the state. IVC boasts a record of 5-1 overall with their only loss coming to undefeated, No. 7 ranked San Diego Mesa. The Lasers are also one of the handful of OEC teams with a new coach at the helm as Anna Unke has returned to Irvine to take over the program. 

No. 11 ranked Cypress is off to another good start with an 8-1 record. The Chargers have beaten three ranked teams but also suffered their only loss to San Diego Mesa. Danko Iordanov is another new coach in the conference and brings over 10 years of coaching experience to the Charger program.

Orange Coast comes in ranked No. 15 with a record of 6-1. The Pirates earned a ranked win against No. 25 Rio Hondo in August and their only loss of the year came against No. 6 Ventura. OCC hopes to improve on their second place OEC finish last season.

The Golden West Rustlers have picked up where they left off last season with a 3-1 start to the season and received votes in the CCCWVCA rankings. The Rustlers are poised to make their fourth consecutive playoff berth if they can keep this momentum up. 

Saddleback is trending up and also received votes in the rankings. The Bobcats have started 4-1 overall and will have a good chance to make their second consecutive playoff run at this rate. 

The Santa Ana Dons also received votes after making their first playoff run since 1983. SAC sits at 2-4 with three losses to ranked teams. Former Don standout Myriah Kunipo-Aguirre has taken the reins as head coach after spending last season as an assistant. 

Rena Smith is the new head coach for the Fullerton Hornets. The Hornets have had a slow start thus far at 0-6 but hope to turn things around during conference play.

Santiago Canyon rounds the group out and has played limited matches with a record of 0-2 so far this season.

Release by Cammie Lewis, Santa Ana SID