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12/15/2011  Six women's volleyball players named to all-conference team

Six Irvine Valley women's volleyball players recently received all-Orange Empire Conference honors. Sophomore libero Sarah Mendoza led the way. She was named to the all-conference first team for the second straight year. Mendoza averaged 5.26 digs per game on the season and was second on the Lasers in aces. She led the conference in assists as well. Sophomore middle blocker Emily Mount and freshman outside hitter Allison Cook each were also named to the conference's first team for the Lasers. Mount was third on the team in kills, averaging 2.11 per game and led the team in hitting percentage and in blocks with 63. She was also third in the conference in blocks. Cook was second on the Lasers in kills , averaging 3.30 per game second in digs, averaging 2.59 per game and led the squad in aces with 30. She was third in the conference in kills. Irvine Valley sophomore middle blocker Hannah Unruh and freshman setter Sofia Furlong were each picked to the second team and sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim received conference honorable mention honors. Unruh averaged 1.87 kills and .81 blocks per game, Furlong averaged 10.79 assists per game and Kim led Irvine Valley in kills, averaging 3.40 per game. Furlong ranked second in the conference in assists and Kim was second in the conference in kills. The women's volleyball team finished the 2011 fall season with a record of 15-6 overall and reached the second round of the Southern California Regional playoffs.

The Irvine Valley women's volleyball team just missed out on its second upset in a row in the Southern California Regional Playoffs. The Lasers, seeded 10th, fell to No. 2 El Camino in five tough sets Saturday night at El Camino. The defeat ended IVC's season. Irvine Valley finished with a record of 15-6 overall. El Camino came out on top, 23‐25, 25‐18, 25‐19, 15‐25, 15‐13. The final set was tied, 13-13. Katie Child gave El Camino match point with a kill and an IVC hitting error allowed the Warriors the victory. The Lasers had opportunities to break open the match, leading 1‐0 in sets and 9‐4 early in the second set. The teams were tied nine times and exchanged the lead twice in the first set, but the Lasers broke a 23-23 tie with a kill from sophomore opposite Nicole Rosenkilde followed by a net violation from the Warriors to seal the set. Down, 9-4, in the second set, El Camino went on a 12-4 run to take control of the set. The third set was close early, with the teams exchanging the lead twice and tied six times. But with the score tied 8-8, the Warriors went on a 10-2 run to seize control of the set and they seemed to have all the momentum going into the fourth set. But IVC had tied the match at 2‐2 thanks in part to three aces served by sophomore middle blocker Emily Mount. They also led 9‐8 in the fifth set. However, El Camino cut down on unforced errors to outlast the Irvine Valley pressure. For Irvine Valley, freshman outside hitter Allison Cook ended with 17 kills and 13 digs, sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim had 16 kills, sophomore libero Sarah Mendoza finished with 26 digs, and Mount totaled seven kills, four blocks and four aces. Sophomore defensive specialist Carleigh Mueller added 13 digs, Rosenkilde contributed 10 kills and three blocks and freshman setter Sofia Furlong had 37 assists. El Camino moved on to face No. 3 Grossmont on Tuesday.

11/22/2011  Women's volleyball team upsets Moorpark, moves on in playoffs

The Irvine Valley women's volleyball team got a little revenge and moved on in the Southern California Regional Playoffs Tuesday night. Irvine Valley, the 10th seed, swept No. 7 Moorpark, 25-20, 26-24, 25-16, in a first-round match at Moorpark. The win avenged a loss (four sets) Irvine Valley had at Moorpark early in the year. The Lasers, who finished third in the Orange Empire Conference, were led by sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim, who finished with 13 kills, and freshman setter Sofia Furlong, who had 37 assists, four blocks and three aces. Irvine Valley hit an impressive .306 as a team in the match. Sophomore middle blocker Emily Mount added nine kills and three blocks, sophomore libero Sarah Mendoza finished with 12 digs and sophomore outside hitter Allison Cook contributed seven kills and nine digs in what was one of Irvine Valley's best played matches of the season. The Lasers improved their record to 15-5 overall. Moorpark, which won the Western State North Conference, finish its season at 20-4. Irvine Valley moves on to play at No. 2 seed El Camino on Saturday at 7 p.m. El Camino defeated Santa Barbara City in four sets in the first round.

11/20/2011  Women's volleyball team makes playoffs, is at Moorpark Tuesday

The Irvine Valley women's volleyball team has been seeded 10th in the Southern California Regional Playoffs and will take on seventh-seeded Moorpark in the first round on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Moorpark. Moorpark won the Western State North Conference. It finished the regular season with a record of 20-3 and was 12-0 in conference. Santa Barbara City finished second in that conference and also made the playoffs as the No. 15 seed out of 16 teams. Irvine Valley has already played at Moorpark this season. The Lasers lost to the Raiders in four-games in a non-conference match on Sept. 23. It was IVC's fourth match of the season. Moorpark came out on top, 25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 25-23. In that match, IVC was led by sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim. She had 17 kills in 47 attempts with 10 digs and two aces. Freshman Avae Masaniai had eight kills and freshman Allison Cook added six kills and 13 digs. Sophomore libero Sarah Mendoza contributed 21 digs and freshman setter Sofia Furlong ended with 44 assists and six kills for the Lasers. Irvine Valley finished third in the Orange Empire Conference - behind Golden West and - Orange Coast. The Lasers ended the regular season with a record of 14-5 overall and 10-4 in conference. IVC won its final four matches of the regular season. The winner of the contest will take on the winner of the No. 15 Santa Barbara vs. No. 2 El Camino contest in the next playoff round on Saturday night. The higher seed hosts.  So. Cal. Playoff Bracket

11/16/2011  Women's volleyball team rallies for win on sophomore night

The Irvine Valley women’s volleyball team is heading into the Southern California playoffs on a roll. The Lasers won their fourth straight match to end the regular season Wednesday night. The Lasers rallied on sophomore night to beat Cypress in five sets, 18-25, 19-25, 25-13, 25-17, 15-6, in an Orange Empire Conference match at IVC. Irvine Valley, which finished in third in the conference standings, improved its record to 14-5 overall and 10-4 in conference. All five of its losses have come to teams ranked in the top 10 in the state rankings. Irvine Valley was ranked 11th in the state in the last poll. Cypress looked like it might make quick work of the Lasers after the first two sets. But IVC got going at the start of the third set and then didn’t look back. The Lasers jumped out to an 8-2 lead and kept surging. IVC finished the set scoring six of the final eight points. Freshman outside hitter Allison Cook made it 21-13 with a kill. Cook added a kill to make it 23-13 and two points later she finished off the set with another kill. Cypress led, 3-1, out of the gate in set four, but soon IVC was up, 5-4, and never trailed again in the set. It was tight at 15-13, but the Lasers rolled off eight of 10 points, highlighted by a solo block by sophomore middle blocker Emily Mount, a combo block by sophomore middle blocker Hannah Unruh and freshman setter Sofia Furlong and a kill by freshman opposite Avae Masaniai. A tip winner by Unruh gave Irvine Valley a 23-15 lead. Unruh gave IVC set point with a kill at 24-17 and then a Cypress hitting error ended it. In the fifth set, Irvine Valley led right from the start. The Lasers jumped out to a 6-1 lead. Freshman setter Nicole Pattison had an ace, Cook recorded a kill, Unruh and Masaniai combined for a block and sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim had a kill. Cypress didn’t get closer than two points the rest of the way. Ahead 8-5, IVC scored four straight points – the last on a block by Furlong and Mount – to take full control of the set. A kill by Kim gave Irvine Valley a 13-6 lead. After Cypress hit out to set up an IVC match point, Cook ended the match with a kill. Cook and Kim led Irvine Valley with 15 kills apiece. Cook also had nine digs. Mount ended with five kills and four blocks, sophomore libero Sarah Mendoza finished with 22 digs and Shepherd had 10 digs for the Lasers. The IVC careers of eight sophomore players were celebrated before the match. The sophomores honored were Shepherd, Kim, Mendoza, defensive specialist Carleigh Mueller, Mount, opposite Kaitlin O’Donnell, Unruh and opposite Nicole Rosenkilde.

 11/11/2011  Women's volleyball team has easy time with Riverside

Irvine Valley's women's volleyball team won its third match in a row, sweeping Riverside, 25-8, 25-14, 25-17, in an Orange Empire Conference match at home Friday night. The win improved Irvine Valley's record to 13-5 overall and 9-4 in conference. The Lasers remained in third place in the standings. IVC hit .328 as a team on the night and got a team-high 13 kills from sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim. Sophomore middle blocker Hannah Unruh added seven kills and four blocks. Freshman outside hitter Allison Cook finished with four kills and six digs, sophomore libero Sarah Mendoza had eight digs and sophomore defensive specialists Carleigh Mueller and Katelyn Shepherd each contributed five digs. Freshman setter Sofia Furlong had 26 assists and five digs. Irvine Valley, which is ranked No. 11 in the state, finishes off the regular season with a home match against Cypress next Wednesday at 6 p.m. 

11/9/2011  Women's volleyball team holds off Saddleback

The Irvine Valley women’s volleyball team got all it could handle from an inspired Saddleback squad Wednesday night. The Lasers pulled out a win in four sets, 25-18, 25-22, 23-25, 25-8, in an Orange Empire Conference match at IVC. The victory was Irvine Valley’s second in a row and kept it in third place in the conference standings. IVC improved its record to 12-5 overall and 8-4 overall. Saddleback slipped to 5-16 overall and 2-11 in conference. Irvine Valley broke open the first set with a 8-2 run to take a 12-5 lead. Freshman outside hitter Allison Cook capped the run with a kill. IVC led by as many as nine points in the set. Saddleback pulled to within 17-14 on a block by Jessica Lopez, but Irvine Valley out-scored the Gauchos, 8-4, the rest of the way to earn the set. Sophomore middle blocker Emily Mount provided two kills down the stretch and a crosscourt kill by Cook ended the set. The second set was tight early. IVC led, 12-9, but then scored five of the next eight points to break things open. Mount and sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim each had two kills and sophomore defensive specialist Katelyn Shepherd had an ace for the Lasers. But Saddleback continued to fight. The Gauchos pulled within 19-18 on two straight IVC hitting errors and then tied the match three points later at 20-20. Irvine Valley regained control on a kill by Kim and a
combo block by Mount and Kim to go up, 22-20. A kill by Kim set up set point at 24-21 and IVC won the set on a Saddleback serving error. Saddleback raced to a 9-2 lead in the third set on back-to-back kills by Danielle Van Liefde. IVC rallied back to within 9-7 on kills by freshman setter Nicole Pattison and sophomore opposite Nicole Rosenkilde. An ace by Lopez gave Saddleback a 12-8 lead. And the Gauchos led, 16-14 after a tip winner by Bri Knox. IVC tied the set at 17-17 on a kill by Kim and took an 18-17 lead on a kill by Rosenkilde. It was back and forth from there. Saddleback knotted the score at 20-20 on a kill by Knox. The teams were tied 21-21, but consecutive kills by Van Liefde put Saddleback up for good, 23-21. The Gauchos earned the set four points later on an IVC hitting error. Irvine Valley didn’t let Saddleback take that momentum into the fourth set, however. The Lasers jumped on the Gauchos from the start and didn’t look back in cruising to a 25-8 victory. Cook had four kills to lead the way in the fourth game with Kim, Rosenkilde and sophomore middle blocker Hannah Unruh each providing two kills. Kim led Irvine Valley with 16 kills, while Cook finished with 15 kills and 12 digs. Unruh and Mount each added 11 kills and Mount had five blocks. Sophomore libero Sarah Mendoza had a big night with a season-high 41 digs. The Lasers finished with 92 digs on the night. Freshmen Sofia Furlong and Pattison shared setting duties with Furlong finishing with 33 assists. Pattison, who provided a lift for the Lasers in sets four and five, finished with 21 assists. IVC hosts Riverside Friday night at 5 p.m.

11/7/2011  Women's volleyball team moves up to No. 11 in latest state poll

The Irvine Valley women's volleyball team moved up two spots in the latest state poll, which was released on Monday. The Lasers are ranked No. 11 in the state. Irvine Valley, which has a record of 11-5 overall, is also ranked ninth in Southern California. LA Pierce retained the top spot. Pierce is 23-0 on the season and has swept 20 teams. Cabrillo, Santa Rosa, El Camino, Grossmont, Golden West, Mt. San Antonio, Pasadena City, Orange Coast and Moorpark round out the top 10 teams in the state. Irvine Valley plays again on Wednesday, hosting Saddleback in an Orange Empire Conference match at 6 p.m.   State Poll     IVC team stats

 

11/5/2011 Women's volleyball team earns big win at Fullerton

The Irvine Valley women's volleyball team had maybe its most important win of the season last Friday. The Lasers swept Fullerton in three sets for the second time this season in a key Orange Empire Conference match. After suffering a  tough-five set loss to Golden West and then being swept by Orange Coast in its previous two matches, the Lasers defeated the Hornets, 26-16, 25-21, 25-21. IVC, Fullerton and Cypress were all tied for third place in the conference standings heading into the match.  Cypress got swept by Golden West, so the Lasers moved into third by themselves. Irvine Valley improved its record to 11-5 overall and 7-4 in conference. Golden West leads the conference with a record of 11-0. Orange Coast is in second at 10-1. In the win over Fullerton, IVC was paced by freshman outside hitter Allison Cook, who had 11 kills, nine digs and five aces. She also hit .308 on the night. Sophomore middle blocker Emily Mount finished with nine kills for the second straight match for IVC. She added three blocks and hit a team-high .438. Sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim added eight kills, sophomore Sarah Mendoza had 19 digs, sophomore defensive specialist Carleigh Mueller contributed 10 digs. IVC had 53 digs as a team on the night. Freshman setter Sofia Furlong ended with 30 assists and two aces. Irvine Valley now finishes the regular season with three straight home matches. The Lasers host Saddleback on Wednesday at 6 p.m., Riverside on Friday at 5 p.m. and Cypress on Nov. 16.

11/3/2011  Women's volleyball team swept at Orange Coast
The Irvine Valley women's volleyball team hasn't had much luck against Orange Coast this season. The Lasers have played the Orange Empire Conference's top team, Golden West, tough twice this year, including taking the Rustlers to five sets in a back and forth contest last week. Even in defeat, it was one of the team's best performances of the season. But IVC wasn't at its best against second-place OCC Wednesday night in Costa Mesa. The Pirates swept Irvine Valley, 25-22, 25-23, 25-18. The defeat dropped Irvine Valley's record to 10-5 overall and 6-4 in conference. Irvine Valley is in a three-way tie for third place in conference with Fullerton and Cypress. IVC is at Fullerton on Friday night. On Wednesday, Irvine Valley jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first set. IVC was up, 13-7, and later, 19-16. But a 5-0 run by the Pirates gave OCC a 21-19 lead. The Lasers scored three of the next four points to tie the game at 22 before a pair of kills by Coast closed out the set at 25-22. Orange Coast got out to a 14-7 lead in the second set. IVC got to within three at 15-12 before Coast pushed its advantage back up to 21-15. Irvine Valley went on a 5-0 run to make it 21-20. But Orange Coast held off the Lasers for the set. OCC led, 9-7, in the third set. It then put the match away with a 7-0 run to grab a 16-7 advantage. Orange Coast was up by as many as 11 points (21-10) before a late run by the Lasers helped close the gap on the final score. Sophomore middle blocker Emily Mount led Irvine Valley with nine kills and four blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Hannah Unruh added seven kills and freshman outside hitter Allison Cook and sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim each finished with six kills. Freshman setter Sofia Furlong contributed 30 assists.

10/28/2011  Volleyball team pushes Golden West before falling

The Irvine Valley women’s volleyball team almost pulled off its best win of the season Friday night. The Lasers pushed Orange Empire Conference leading Golden West to the brink, but came up a little short in a five-set loss on Dig Pink night at Irvine Valley. Golden West, ranked sixth in the state, pulled out the win, 25-20, 23-25, 15-25, 25-23, 16-14. "We were right there and so close," IVC Coach Tom Pestolesi said of knocking off the Rustlers. "It was just a couple of plays here and there. But I'm still really proud of how hard the girls fought. We've been playing really good volleyball for a bout three weeks now. We just have to keep it up." The Rustlers improved their record to 13-3 overall and 9-0 in conference. Irvine Valley, ranked 13th in the state, slipped to 10-4 overall and 6-3 in conference. All proceeds from the evening, including admission and raffle drawings went toward the Side-out.org Dig Pink Volleyball Breast Cancer Awareness campaign. Nearly 400 fans showed up to watch a back and forth, action packed match that went down to the wire. Golden West led from start to finish in the first set. Irvine Valley jumped out to a big lead in the second set, going up, 6-1, on a kill by freshman opposite Nicole Rosenkilde, an ace by sophomore libero Sarah Mendoza and a combo block by sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim and sophomore middle blocker Emily Mount. But Golden West caught IVC at 9-9 and the set was tied seven other times the rest of the way. Tied, 18-18, Golden West scored three points in a row on a block by Bethanee Boggs and Klaire Blasco and an ace by Alicia Utke to go up, 21-18. Irvine Valley looked like it might go down two sets when the Rustlers went ahead, 23-21, on a kill by Golden West’s Alyssa Hubbard. But the Lasers came back with a kill by Rosenkilde and then when Golden West hit out the set was tied 23-23. Two more hitting errors by the Rustlers gave the Lasers the set. Irvine Valley carried that momentum into the third set. The Lasers were down, 5-2, early, but then scored eight points in a row. A block by freshman setter Sofia Furlong and Mount gave IVC a 10-5 advantage. Irvine Valley was dominant the rest of the set. Ahead, 16-10, the Lasers went on a 6-2 run to put the set away. Sophomore middle blocker Hannah Unruh had two kills and Mount had a kill and a block as part of the run. IVC won the set, 25-15, after back-to-back Golden West hitting errors. Golden West won a very tight fourth set to get back into the match. The set was tied at 9-9, 10-10, 11-11, 13-13, 14-14, 16-16, 17-17, 18-18, 19-19, 20-20, 21-21 and 23-23. Golden West held a 23-21 lead, but IVC’s Mount
fired a kill and then freshman outside hitter Allison Cook tied it at 23 with a kill. But Golden West earned the set on consecutive kills by Utke. The fifth set was just as close. Golden West raced out to a 3-0 lead on a block by Ashley Botana only to see Irvine Valley rally and go up, 8-5, on a kill by Cook. IVC took its largest lead of the set at 10-6.  But Golden West ended up scoring 10 of the final 14 points. IVC never had a match point in the final set. Irvine Valley’s last lead in the set came at 12-11 on a bock by Rosenkilde and Unruh. Golden West scored three points in a row to take a 14-12 lead. A kill by Kim and then a Golden West hitting error pulled IVC even at 14-14. But Golden West pulled out the win on a kill by Utke and then an ace on match point by libero Kat Castillo. Castillo finished with 30 digs and three aces on the night. And Hubbard and Utke each had 14 kills for the Rustlers. Irvine Valley was paced by Kim and Cook, who each finished with 16 kills. Unruh had eight kills and five blocks, Mount added seven kills and six blocks, Mendoza ended with 18 digs and Furlong had 50 assists. IVC plays its next two matches on the road. The Lasers are at Orange Coast on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and then at Fullerton on Friday at 6 p.m. OCC is ranked ninth in the state and Fullerton is No. 12.

10/27/2011 Women's volleyball team ready for Dig Pink night

The Irvine Valley women's volleyball team's Orange Empire Conference match at home on Friday against Golden West is big in a number of ways. The Lasers are taking on conference leading Golden West in a very important match. Golden West is undefeated so far in conference play. IVC is in third - two matches back of the Rustlers. Irvine Valley did play Golden West tough when the two teams met earlier this year at Golden West, losing in four games. IVC has a record of 10-3 overall and 6-2 in conference after sweeping Santa Ana, 25-8, 25-13, 25-13, on the road Wednesday night. Sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim had 10 kills, sophomore middle blocker Hannah Unruh and freshman outside hitter Allison Cook contributed seven kills each, sophomore libero Sarah Mendoza finished with 11 digs and freshman setter Sofia Furlong had 24 assists. Irvine Valley is also putting on its third annual Dig Pink event. All proceeds from the night will go toward the Side-out.org Dig Pink Volleyball Breast Cancer Awareness campaign. Admission will be $5 for all spectators. There will also be raffles, auctions and Asics pink t-shirt giveaways. Last year, nearly 400 fans were in attendance for the event. The events the last two years have raised more than $3,000. One of the driving forces behind the first Dig Pink event at IVC in 2009 was a Laser player. Caitlin Segert, a sophomore and starting middle blocker, helped coordinate the event in conjunction with the coaching staff and athletic administration, and was directly responsible for the effort of the women’s volleyball student-athletes in obtaining raffle prizes, giveaways and auction items.

10/26/2011  Lasers make a move in the latest state rankings

Thanks to four straight victories, the Irvine Valley women's volleyball team jumped five spots in the latest state poll. Irvine Valley moved from 18th to 13th. It now also ranks 10th in Southern California. Four teams from the Orange Empire Conference are in the top 13 of the state poll with Golden West the highest at No. 6. Orange Coast is ninth and Fullerton, which IVC swept earlier this season, is 12th. Irvine Valley, which has a record of 9-3 overall, plays a conference match at Santa Ana on Wednesday and then hosts Golden West Friday at 6 p.m.    State Poll 

10/21/2011  Women's volleyball team has successful week

The Irvine Valley women's volleyball team won two more matches last week and kept pace near the top of the Orange Empire Conference standings. The Lasers defeated Riverside on the road on Wednesday, 25-13, 25-16, 25-19, and then won at Cypress on Friday, 25-22, 25-15, 25-19. The two victories give IVC a four-match win streak, which is its longest of the season. The Lasers have won all four matches in straight sets. IVC has a record of 9-3 overall and 5-2 in conference and sits in third place in the conference standings behind Orange Coast and Golden West. Against Riverside, sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim led the way with 16 kills and four digs. It as the third match in a row that Kim paced the team in kills and sixth time this season. Freshman outside hitter Allison Cook added seven kills and three aces, sophomore middle blocker Emily Mount finished with five kills and six blocks, sophomore libero Sarah Mendoza had 12 digs and freshman setter Sofia Furlong contributed 31 assists, 11 digs and three aces. Cook was the leader in kills in the victory over Cypress, recording 17 to go along with five digs. Cook hit .400 on the night. She has led the team in kills five times this year. Sophomore middle blocker Hannah Unruh had one of her best matches of the season with nine kills and three blocks. She hit .667. Mount finished with nine kills and five blocks. Mendoza added 12 digs and Furlong had a nice match with 41 assists and six digs. She helped the Lasers hit .396 as a team in the match. IVC is on the road again on Wednesday. It travels to Santa Ana looking for its fifth win in a row. The Lasers then host their annual Dig Pink match on Friday against Golden West at 6 p.m. All proceeds from the night will go toward the Side-out.org Dig Pink Volleyball Breast Cancer Awareness campaign.

10/16/2011  Annie Kim featured in Daily Pilot article

The IVC sophomore outside hitter talks about volleyball, school, her busy schedule and trying to help the Lasers to a successful season.

To read the article click here

10/15/2011  Volleyball team sweeps Saddleback
The Irvine Valley women's volleyball team made it two wins in a row with a straight-set victory in an Orange Empire Conference match at Saddleback on Friday night. Irvine Valley cruised, 25-15, 25-18, 25-15. Sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim finished with 10 kills, five digs and three aces, freshman outside hitter Allison Cook had eight kills and seven digs, sophomore middle blocker Emily Mount added seven kills and four blocks and sophomore libero Sarah Mendoza had 13 digs. Nine different Laser players recorded at least one kill in the contest. The victory improved Irvine Valley's record to 7-3 overall and 3-2 in conference. Irvine Valley plays at Riverside at 6 p.m. on Wednesday and at Cypress at 6 p.m. on Friday this week. 

10/12/2011  Women's volleyball team takes care of Fullerton
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After consecutive four-set losses, the Irvine Valley women’s volleyball team needed a victory. The Lasers got one against one of the hottest squads in the state. In its best performance of the season, Irvine Valley swept Fullerton, 25-21, 25-18, 25-14, in an Orange Empire Conference match Wednesday night at Irvine Valley. Fullerton came into the match as the highest ranked team from the conference in the state (No. 7) and had a record of 9-1 overall and 3-0 in conference. "It was by far the best we have played," IVC Coach Tom Pestolesi said. "I loved our pursuit. We made more scrambling plays to get the ball in than we have all year. It was nice to see that kind of effort tonight." Irvine Valley, ranked No. 18 in the state, got stellar efforts from sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim, who finished with 15 kills, hit .320 and also had two aces and three blocks and freshman outside hitter Allison Cook, who had 14 kills, 13 digs and two blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Emily Mount added six kills and two aces, sophomore libero Sarah Mendoza chipped in 21 digs and freshman setter Sofia Furlong had 40 assists to go along with five digs and two aces. “We had a really good practice yesterday and it carried over tonight for everyone,” Pestolesi said. “What I also liked was that we played with a lot more emotion. We had a little swagger.” Irvine Valley actually trailed early on in the first two sets, but had answers for Fullerton all night. The Lasers led a tight first game, 12-11, but went on a 9-3 run to take control. Cook had a kill and a block, Mount added a kill and an ace, Furlong had an ace and sophomore middle blocker Hannah Unruh had a kill during the run. Fullerton fought back to within 23-20, but IVC earned the win soon after when Fullerton served out. Fullerton led, 9-7, in the second set. And the set was tied, 14-14, but IVC put together a nice stretch to close it out. The Lasers scored 11 of the final 15 points. Mount had one kill, one ace and one block, Cook added two kills, freshman opposite Avae Masaniai had a kill, Unruh had one kill and Kim ended the set with back-to-back kills for the 25-18 win. The Lasers rolled in set three. Tied, 4-4, Irvine Valley scored nine points in a row behind the serving of sophomore defensive specialist Katelyn Shepherd. She had three aces during the streak and Mount, Kim, Cook and Furlong each had a kill apiece to put IVC ahead, 13-4. Irvine Valley extended its lead to 19-8 on a kill by Cook. Fullerton didn’t get any closer than eight points the rest of the way. An ace by Furlong made it 22-11 and a solo block by freshman middle blocker Sinead O’Neill gave IVC a 23-13 advantage. Kills by Jackie Trimble and Sigourney Rockmore kept Fullerton alive. But Irvine Valley ended the match on a kill off the block by Kim. Irvine Valley, which improved its record to 6-3 overall and 2-2 in conference, plays at Saddleback on Friday at 7 p.m.

10/7/2011  Women's volleyball team falls in four to Orange Coast
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Irvine Valley’s women’s volleyball team faced two of the top teams in the Orange Empire Conference this week and came away with two straight losses. After falling in four sets at Golden West on Wednesday, the Lasers lost, 25-10, 25-18, 23-25, 25-18 to Orange Coast on Friday at home. Orange Coast, ranked 10th in the state, improved its record to 8-1 overall and 3-0 in conference, while the 14th-ranked Lasers slipped to 5-3 overall and 1-2 in conference. It wasn’t pretty early for Irvine Valley. IVC mistakes and solid play by the Pirates led to an easy first set win for OCC. The second set was a lot closer, but Orange Coast still led the entire way. Irvine Valley got within four points on three different occasions late. But up, 19-15, Orange Coast went on a four-point run, capped by two kills by Karlee Riggs and a block by Morgan Link to take a 23-15 lead. Orange Coast had a two set lead two points later when Irvine Valley made a hitting error. The Lasers showed some fight in the third game. Down, 10-6, Irvine Valley went on a 9-0 run to take control. Sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim led the way. During the stretch, she had three kills and two aces. And freshman outside hitter Allison Cook added a kill and a block. But the Pirates proceeded to out-score Irvine Valley, 9-4, to tie the set, 19-19. IVC then scored four points in a row to go ahead, 23-19. Irvine Valley reached set point at 24-21 on a kill by sophomore middle blocker Hannah Unruh, but Orange Coast got back-to-back points on a kill by Riggs and an ace by Andi Frisina to get within 24-23. Irvine Valley ended the game on the next point, however. Kim put down a kill to send the match to a fourth set. It was all Orange Coast in the fourth. The Pirates raced out to an 11-2 lead. Irvine Valley got as close as three points later on at 16-13 and 21-18, but Orange Coast scored the final four points for the contest to earn the victory. Riggs had a kill and then a tip winner to make it 23-18 and two points later Irvine Valley hit out to end the match. Riggs led Orange Coast with 17 kills. Link and Dana Nicholson each chipped in nine kills. Frisina had 18 digs, Isabel Emrich contributed 15 digs and Allison Lumsden finished with 43 assists. Irvine Valley was paced by Cook’s 13 kills, nine digs and two aces. Kim added 10 kills and two aces, sophomore libero Sarah Mendoza had 18 digs and freshman setter Sofia Furlong ran the offense with 40 assists for IVC. The Lasers play again next Wednesday, hosting Fullerton at 6 p.m. Fullerton, along with Orange Coast and Golden West were each undefeated in conference entering Friday night’s action.

 9/30/2011  Lasers sweep Santa Ana in conference opener
Irvine Valley’s women’s volleyball team finished off a solid week with an easy, three-set sweep over Santa Ana on Friday in the Orange Empire Conference opener at home. The Lasers, ranked 14th in the state, dropped their first match of the season last week at Moorpark, but bounced back with two straight-set victories this week. IVC beat San Diego Mesa on Wednesday and followed that up with a 25-11, 25-11, 25-9 victory over Santa Ana. “It is good to get off to a nice start like this in conference,” IVC Coach Tom Pestolesi said. “Everyone played and contributed. It was a good night. We need it because we have a tough week next week.” Irvine Valley plays at Golden West next Wednesday and hosts Orange Coast next Friday. With the win, Irvine Valley improved its record to 5-1 overall, while Santa Ana slipped to 1-6. IVC hit .400 as a team in the match and freshmen setters Sofia Furlong and Nicole Pattison spread the wealth on offense. Seven different Laser players had at least three kills in the contest. Freshman middle blocker Sinead O’Neill finished with six kills, freshman outside hitter Lauren Bender had five kills and freshman outside hitter Nicole Rosenkilde and sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim each contributed four kills. Bender finished off Santa Ana in the third set with the final of her five kills. Sophomore libero Sarah Mendoza had a busy night over the three games with 18 digs. She also added two aces.

9/28/2011  Women's volleyball team finishes strong in sweep of Mesa
The Irvine Valley women’s volleyball team got off to a slow start against San Diego Mesa in a non-conference match Wednesday night at IVC. But the Lasers sure finished strong. Irvine Valley, ranked No. 14 in the state, rallied to win the opening set and then was solid in taking a 25-22, 25-20, 25-16 victory over 20th-ranked San Diego Mesa. Freshman outside hitter Allison Cook led the way with a season-high 19 kills. Sophomore middle blockers Emily Mount and Hannah Unruh each contributed eight kills and sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim had seven kills. Sophomore libero Sarah Mendoza finished with 14 digs. Kim added 11 digs and sophomore Carleigh Mueller had seven digs. Setter Sofia Furlong played another solid match for the Lasers and ended with 48 assists and three aces. IVC improved its record to 4-1 and bounced back from its first loss of the season (in four games last week to Moorpark). Irvine Valley trailed, 14-8, in the opening game and was later down, 16-13, before turning things around. IVC scored three straight points and tied the set, 16-16, on an ace by Cook. Tied, 18-18, Irvine Valley took its first lead of the set at 19-18 on an ace by Furlong. Irvine Valley took its largest lead at 24-21 on a net by Mesa. Mendoza came up with a huge dig for the Lasers to keep the point alive before San Diego Mesa made the error. Cook closed out the game with a kill. IVC led the whole way in the second game. The Lasers raced out to a 6-0 lead on kills by Unruh and Kim. Irvine Valley went ahead, 17-8, on three straight miscues by the Olympians. It looked to be an easy win for IVC, but San Diego Mesa battled back late. The Lasers led, 22-17, on a kill by Unruh, but then San Diego Mesa scored three points in a row to get within 22-20. But Irvine Valley won the next three points – on kills by Cook and Unruh and a Mesa error – to win the set. Irvine Valley trailed, 15-14, in the third set, but then went on a big run to end things. The Lasers out-scored the Olympians, 10-1, to finish the match. Kills by Kim and then Cook closed out the win.

9/27/2011  Women's volleyball team slips to 14th in latest state poll

After suffering its first loss of the 2011 season in four games last Friday at Moorpark, the Irvine Valely women's volleyball team dropped from fifth to 14th in the latest state poll, which was released on Tuesday. Irvine Valley has a record of 3-1 overall and hosts San Diego Mesa in its final non-conference match of the season Wednesday night at home at 5 p.m. IVC opens OEC play Friday at home against Santa Ana at 6 p.m.      State Poll

 9/23/2011  Lasers suffer first loss of the season, lose in four at Moorpark
The Irvine Valley women's volleyball team lost its first match of the 2011 season Friday night at Moorpark. Moorpark beat IVC, 25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 25-23, in the non-conference contest. "We played a lot of good points and had our chances, but we made too many silly mistakes in key situations," IVC Coach Tom Pestolesi said. "We just have to correct those and get better." IVC, which was ranked fifth in the state, was led by sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim. She had 17 kills in 47 attempts with 10 digs and two aces. Freshman Avae Masaniai had a season-high in kills with eight. Freshman Allison Cook added six kills and 13 digs. Sophomore libero Sarah Mendoza contributed 21 digs and freshman setter Sofia Furlong ended with 44 assists and six kills for the Lasers, whose record fell to 3-1 on the year. IVC hosts San Diego Mesa on Wednesday at 5 p.m. before starting Orange Empire Conference play on Friday with a home match against Santa Ana at 6 p.m.

9/15/2011  Volleyball team ranked fifth in first state poll

The Irvine Valley women's volleyball team is ranked fifth in the first CCCWVCA State Top 25 Poll of the season. The Lasers have started with a record of 2-0, beating Canyons in four sets and Palomar in three sets. Los Angeles Pierce, which is the defending state champion, is ranked first. Cabrillo is second, Santa Rosa is third and El Camino is ranked fourth. After IVC at fifth is Pasadena City, Foothill, Orange Coast, San Joaquin Delta and Fullerton to round out the top 10. IVC plays again on Friday at San Diego City.     State Poll

9/14/2011  Lasers sweep aside Palomar in home opener
The Irvine Valley women’s volleyball team showed just how much potential there is for a fine season on Wednesday night. The Lasers, who are ranked fifth in first state poll of the season, swept aside Palomar, 25-12, 25-14, 25-17, in their home opener. Irvine Valley, which started the year with a four-game win at Canyons last week, had no trouble throughout against Palomar. Coach Tom Pestolesi liked what he saw. “Our left sides played well and got us going early, especially Annie Kim,” he said. “She is so aggressive and puts so much pressure on the defense. She never lets up. I thought Sarah Mendoza was very good. She passed really well and had a bunch of digs. And Sofia Furlong did a really good job setting. She is improving all of the time and her length really allows her to make plays that most other setters can’t. “There are still some things we have to work out like who hits what set better and we could get a little more from our middles. But the good thing is that it is early and we have time as we go along. “I just like that we have so many good volleyball players, so many athletic players.” Kim, a sophomore outside hitter, led IVC with 11 kills and four digs. Freshman outside hitter Allison Cook was in double digit kills for the second straight match, finishing with 10. She also had five digs and two blocks. Mendoza, IVC’s sophomore libero, had 13 digs and Furlong, a freshman setter, ended up with 29 assists, four digs and four aces. Irvine Valley plays again Friday at San Diego City in a non-conference contest.

9/8/2011  Women's volleyball team wins opener at Canyons

The Irvine Valley women's volleyball team got off to a slow start, but found its groove as the match went on and beat College of the Canyons in four sets on Wednesday night in the team's opener at Canyons. IVC lost the first set, but won the next three in a 18-25, 25-21, 25-14, 25-17 victory in the non-conference contest. "We had some errors early, but played better and better as the match went on," Coach Tom Pestolesi said. "It was a good start to the season." After dropping the first set, IVC turned was in a back and forth battle in the second set. It was tied, 16-16, when Irvine Valley went on a 5-0 run to take control. The Lasers jumped out to
a 16-6 lead in the third set and never looked back. Irvine Valley led a tight fourth game, 16-14, but then scored five straight points to put the match away. Irvine Valley was led by freshman outside hitter Allison Cook, who finished with 15 kills, eight digs and two aces, and sophomore outside hitter Annie Kim, who ended with 14 kills, four digs and two aces. Sophomore middle blocker Emily Mount added nine kills and four digs and sophomore middle blocker Hannah Unruh had six kills and 2.5 blocks. Sophomore libero Sarah Mendoza contributed 15 digs and freshman Sofia Furlong, making her first start for the Lasers, guided the offense with 46 assists. She also had five kills and eight digs. IVC's record improved to 1-0, while Canyons fell to 1-1. Irvine Valley plays again next Wednesday. It will be the home opener for the Lasers as they take on Palomar at 5 p.m. 

9/1/2011 Women's volleyball team taking on alumni Friday night

After a successful outing in the Cuesta Scrimmage tournament last weekend, the Irvine Valley women's volleyball team will take on its alumni in a match Friday night at approximately 6 p.m.

8/15/2011  Women's volleyball team featured in the Daily Pilot

The 2011 team was previewed in last weekend's Daily Pilot newspaper sports section. To read more click here

4/26/2011  Women's volleyball team gets commitments for 2011

Irvine Valley women's volleyball coach Tom Pestolesi announced that four standout players will be joining the Lasers for the fall 2011 season. They are outside hitter Allie Cook, middle blocker/outside hitter/defensive specialist Alex Goodman and outside hitter/opposite Avae` Masaniai from Edison High in Huntington Beach and outside hitter/defensive specialist Lauren Bender from Ayala High in Chino Hills.  "Allie is a very good player and will help us immediately, Alex is solid and will provide depth in every position and Avae` is very explosive and will provide a lot of offense for the Lasers," Pestolesi said. "Lauren is another good player that will give us a lot of depth. It is an exciting group of incoming freshman to compliment an excellent group of returners." Irvine Valley finished with a record of 13-6 overall last season and made the second round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs. Top returning players include all-conference libero Sarah Mendoza, outside hitter Carleigh Mueller and middle blocker Hannah Unruh.