Men's volleyball team takes top conference honors
May 05, 2006
The Irvine Valley men’s volleyball team took top honors when the Orange Empire Conference player and coach of the year and all-conference teams were announced recently.
Six players on the team were honored and Head Coach Tom Pestolesi and Assistant Coach Eric Olson were named as co-coaches of the year.
Freshman outside hitter Tyler Strickland shared the conference most valuable player award with Golden West’s Fletcher Anderson.
Strickland led Irvine Valley in kills in 16 of 17 matches this past season. He finished the year with 319 kills (4.49 per game average).
He averaged 4.48 kills per game in the regular season, which ranked third in conference. Strickland was also among the leaders in the conference in hitting percentage blocks and digs.
He was second on the team in hitting percentage at .342 and second in digs with 102 (1.44 per game average).
Strickland also had 56 blocks and 13 aces. He ranked fourth in the conference in hitting percentage, seventh in digs and eighth in blocks.
Sophomore setter Michael Bari and sophomore middle blocker Eric Eastman were named first team all-conference for the Lasers.
Eastman earned second team honors a year ago.
Bari led the team in assists with 755 (10.63 per game average).
He averaged 10.63 assists per game during the regular season, which ranked second best in conference. His 755 total is the second best in school history for a season.
Bari added 1.01 digs per game, which ranked ninth best in conference, and 18 aces, which was sixth best in conference.
Eastman had 206 kills (2.90 per game average) and 72 blocks (1.01 per game average) overall.
He was second on the team in kills and first in blocks.
Eastman also led the team in hitting percentage at .444, which ranks among the best in program history. Eastman recorded the best hitting percentage in a match in school history this past season - .773 (17-0-22) against Grossmont.
Eastman ranked first in the conference in hitting percentage and blocks and sixth in kills.
Freshman outside hitter Matt Knutson, sophomore outside hitter Josh Kornegay and sophomore middle blocker Kealakai Hussey were the Irvine Valley players on the all-conference second team.
Knutson was third on the team with 87 kills (1.74 per game) and third in aces with 16. He ranked 10th in the conference in kills and fourth in aces.
Knutson added 48 digs and 24 blocks.
Kornegay came on strong for the Lasers toward the end of the season and finished with 54 kills, which was fifth best on the team. He averaged 1.54 kills per game.
Kornegay also added 38 digs.
Hussey finished the year with 48 kills (0.89 per game) and 48 blocks (0.89 per game). He ranked fourth in the conference in blocks.
The six Irvine Valley players honored helped Irvine Valley to one of the best seasons in school history. The Lasers won their second ever Orange Empire Conference title and reached the state tournament for the third time in school history. Irvine Valley finished with an overall record of 12-5.