Men's Volleyball outlasts Palomar for State Title. It took four years to get the MoorparkCollege Men's volleyball program from the drawing board to the state final. It took five games to finish the job. The Raiders earned a special 11th State Championship banner for the Raider Pavilion walls the first title won on campus -- with a five-game triumph over Palomar in the state final, 20-25, 25-17, 25-18, 23-25, 15-10, on Saturday night. Freshman opposite Sean Sharpe had 15 kills and middle blocker Virgil Ecoffey added 12 for Moorpark (14-4). Sophomore setter Jeremy Sharf had 40 assists and just four ball-handling errors. Palomar (12-5) was led by outside hitter Eric Joller's 20 kills. Moorpark features a core of Royal High and Classic Volleyball club players who have played together since the dawn of adolescence. As long as they have been playing volleyball, they have looked up at the opposition. This morning, the state of California looks up to them. "The little team that could," said Moorpark head coach Steve Burkhart. Palomar's starting lineup stood 191/2 inches taller on aggregate. "It's been like that, ever since I started playing volleyball," said Sharf. "But I don't know a team that plays as good team ball as us," said opposite Luke Moffatt. "We trust every player on this team." Like Moffatt said, the Comets were eclipsed by team play and ball control that filters from Sharf on down. "Moorpark is the best ball control team we've played all year," said Palomar coach Alan Ursillo. "They were getting good, hard sets on off plays. That's all ball control. It was incredible. And that's what won the game for them." Ball control and service. Palomar's left-handed setter Nick Rubacky (56 assists) unsettled the Moorpark braintrust, including coaches Kevin Judd and Kellee Roesel, with his attacking potential at the net, so the Raiders focused on tying him up with cleaning up difficult serves and held him to just three kills. Looking to become the first host to win a state title since 1986, Moorpark started strong with a quick set to middle blocker Allan Lauenstein for a powerful kill. But Palomar took control behind middle Jonathon Girten (16 kills) and outside hitter Joller, who each had six kills in the first game. Moorpark used nine block assists and kills from six different players to even the match at a game apiece. The teamwork of Sharf and Sharpe, and Moorpark momentum, carried over into Game 3, as Ryan Upmeyer from the right and Moffatt from the left helped build a 6-1 lead. Palomar fought back into the game, but Sharf closed the door with pair of dump shots. Game 4 was tied at 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 as Palomar rode Kevin McColloch (13 kills), its 6-foot-4 opposite. Rubacky pounced on an overpass and Girten finished a quick set to force a deciding fifth game. For nearly the entire break between the final two games, the Pavilion sound system fittingly echoed with Billy Joel's "Pressure" until the final game began to a standing ovation. In Game 5, Moorpark reeled off six of seven points to take a 7-3 advantage. Palomar's 13th and 14th service errors of the match pushed it to 9-5. A Sharpe kill from an acrobatic Logan Redlin dig forced a Comets timeout at 12-7. Ecoffey nearly put the ball through the floor on a quick set to make it 14-10, then finished it on a block before disappearing beneath his teammates in the celebratory pileup. Sharpe was the tournament Most Valuable Player. Upmeyer, Ecoffey, Joller, Girten, Jay Jenson of IrvineValley and Chris Waddill of Santa BarbaraCity made up the All-Tournament team.  

Men's Volleyball defeats Irvine Valley in State Semi-finals. Stuffed into a Toyota Tercel bound for a college match at Pepperdine this week, several members of the MoorparkCollege men's volleyball team spent the ride calling every number in their cellphones to turn out a home-court advantage for the CaliforniaCommunity College championships this weekend. Mission accomplished. Backed by a riotous, partisan crowd who held homemade signs and donned makeshift eye patches, the Raiders burned up Irvine Valley College for a two-game lead before finishing the visiting Lasers in four games, 25-19, 25-15, 23-25, 25-20, in a state semifinal at Raider Pavilion Friday night. "When you have that many people on your side, it's a big factor," said freshman opposite Luke Moffatt. "This is crazy," said sophomore setter Jeremy Sharf. "We've never had this many people watch us before. We told everyone we knew, but I can't believe so many people are here." Just four years after its creation, Moorpark (13-4) will host Palomar (12-5), which swept Santa BarbaraCity in three games, tonight at 7 for the school's first state championship in the sport. The last Moorpark state champion was the 2003 men's track and field team. Moorpark, the Western State Conference champion, beat the Orange Empire's best in five games at San Marcos on Feb. 18. "That was light years ago," said Moorpark coach Steve Burkhart, whose team played at warp speed in racing out to a 11-4 Game 1 lead and a 19-5 Game 2 edge. "We were just on top of them," said Ryan Upmeyer. "We really took them by surprise." With Upmeyer serving, Moorpark scored the first six points of the match. It had points streaks of five, six, five and six in building its second-game lead. "We were playing strictly on adrenaline those first two games," said Burkhart. "But we were playing too good a team to beat in three straight." IrvineValley gutted out the third game behind opposite Sean Nicholson (15 kills), but Moorpark fought off Irvine's push in the clinching fourth game. Perhaps his team had appeared to have stopped the bleeding, but Irvine setter Bryce Baum looked like he needed one of Mrs. Upmeyer's eye patches after diving headlong into the scorer's table, opening up a gash on his right eye. Moorpark held the edge nearly the entire fourth game, but scored five of six points after IVC had closed to within 20-19 as Luke Moffatt had a game-high five kills. "They just played their rear ends off and got after it," said IrvineValley coach Tom Pestolesi. "And man, their setter is really good. They get a good swing every time." Whether it was the high-flying inside play of Virgil Ecoffey (16 kills), the outside power of Sean Sharpe (15 kills), the service of Upmeyer (four aces) or the head-first diving defense of Logan Redlin (eight digs), Moorpark, led by unsung setter Scharf (45 assists), put together every aspect of team volleyball. "It's good team ball," said Upmeyer. "And there's no way we'd be here without our second team. They don't get the credit, but we appreciate them." Moorpark will be taking on a Palomar team that swept Santa Barbara City impressively, 25-18, 25-22, 25-13, behind 6-foot-4 opposite Kevin McColloch (15 kills). Yet the Raiders, which feature the 6-foot Ecoffey at middle, are used to looking up at their opponents. "We've been doing it all year," said Moffatt, "ever since we've been playing volleyball, really. If you play together, it doesn't matter how tall you are." "We've been doing it all year," said Upmeyer. "Nothing scares us. Bring 'em on."

Men's Volleyball loses to Long Beach City. The Raiders lose to host Long Beach City College in 5 games. Game scores were 20-25, 23-25, 25-16, 25-23, 15-12. Sean Sharpe had 19 kills, two aces and three blocks, Virgil Ecoffey had 15 kills and three blocks and Ryan Upmeyer had 10 digs, nine kills and five aces. Logan Redlin had 24 digs and Jeremy Scharf had 54 assists. The Raiders will play in one of two regional games on Tuesday, with the winner advancing to State Tournament. The Raiders finish the season with a 12-4 overall record and a 7-3 mark in  Western State Conference.

Men's Volleyball defeats Santa Monica. The Raiders defeated host Santa Monica City College in 4 games. Game scores were 22-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-21. Sean Sharpe had 13 kills and four blocks and Virgill Ecoffey had 12 kills. Logan Redland added 12 digs and Jeremy Scharf contributed 44 assists.  The Raiders run their record to 14-3 overall, 7-2  in the WSC.

Men's Volleyball defeats Santa Barbara. The Raiders defeated host Santa Barbara City College in 4 games. Game scores were 24-26, 25-21, 25-18, and 25-19. Virgil Ecoffey had 14 kills and Sean Sharpe added 13 kills. Jeremy Scharf had 40 assists.

Men's Volleyball defeats LA Pierce College. The Raiders complete the season series sweep of LA Pierce College, 18-25, 25-9, 25-23 and 25-21. Allan Launstein had 12 kills and Jeremy Scharf added 38 assists.

Men's Volleyball battles Long Beach. The Raiders were swept by visiting Long Beach City College, 22-25, 22-25 and 22-25. Virgil Ecoffey had 12 kills and Logan Redlin added 21 digs.

Men's Volleyball defeats El Camino. The Raiders defeated El Camino College in 4 games, 25-20, 25-17, 23-25 and 25-12. Virgil Ecoffey had 21 kills, Sean Sharpe added 15 kills. Logan Redlin added 21 digs.

Men's Volleyball defeats Pierce College. The Raiders defeated visiting Pierce College 25-22, 25-16, and 25-22. Sean Sharpe had 12 kills and 6 blocks. Logan Redlin added 15 digs. Jeremy Scharf had 35 assists.

Men's Volleyball defeats El Camino. The Raiders defeated host El Camino College in 3 games. Game scores were 25-16, 25-22, 25-22. Virgil Ecoffey had 13 kills, Jeremy Scharf and Sean Sharpe added 8 kills. Logan Redlin had 20 digs.

Men's Volleyball vs Santa Barbara. The Raiders were defeated by visiting Santa Barbara City College in 4 games. Game scores were 25-21, 19-25, 22-25, 19-25. Alan Lauenstein had 14 kills and Micah Waters had 15 digs.

Men's Volleyball defeats Orange Coast. The Raiders defeated visiting Orange Coast College in 5 games. Game scores were 25-21, 23-25, 22-25, 25-19, 15-7. Ryan Upmeyer had 18 kills, 15 digs, and three aces. Virgil Ecoffey had 15 kills, Alan Lauenstein added 14 and Micah Waters had 16 digs.

Men's Volleyball defeats Santa Monica. The Raiders's win streak is at 3 as they defeated visiting Santa Monica City College in 4 games.Game scores were 25-23, 17-25, 25-22, 25-23. Virgil Ecoffey had 12 kills, Alan Lauenstein and Sean Sharpe registered 10 kills apiece and Michael Walters had 12 digs

Men's Volleyball defeats Goldenwest. The Raiders defeated visiting Goldenwest College in 5 games. Scores were 25-20, 25-17, 23-25, 21-25, and 15-10. The Raider's Sean Sharpe had 15 kills, Virgil Ecoffey had 12 kills and Luke Moffatt added 12 kills. Jeremy Scharf had 60 assists.

Men's Volleyball defeats Irvine Valley. The Raiders defeated host Irvine Valley College in 5 games. The Raiders were paced by Virgil Ecoffey, who had 12 kills and by Jon Mason, who added 11 kills.

Men's Volleyball at San Diego Mesa. The Raiders were defeated by host San Diego Mesa College in 4 games. The Raiders were paced by Virgil Ecoffey, who had 12 kills and by Jon Mason, who added 11 kills.

Men's Volleyball defeats Palomar. The Raiders defeated host Palomar College in 5 games, 20-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-17, 15-10. The Raiders were paced by Virgil Ecoffey, who had 12 kills and by Jon Mason, who added 11 kills

Men's Volleyball defeats Grossmont. In the opening match of the season, the Raiders defeated Grossmont College in 5 games, 25-22, 25-19, 24-26, 21-25, 15-12. The Raiders were led by Ryan Upmeyer who had 12 kills and Luke Moffit added 11.

Men's Volleyball at Grossmont Invitational. The Raiders took second place at the Grossmont Invitational going 4-1. Their lone loss was to the infamous San Diego St alumni team that has beaten the Raiders for the second week in a row.

Men's Volleyball at Long Beach Tournament. The Raiders went 2-1 in their pool at the Long Beach Tournament. The Raiders defeated Santa Monica City College and Long Beach City College before losing to Baja. In the playoffs, the Raiders lost to a San Diego State alumni team.

Burkhart to lead Men's Volleyball. Steve Burkhart was named Head Coach of the Men's volleyball team. He replaces Kevin Judd who will now assume the assistant duties. Burkhart has vast knowledge of volleyball. He coached at Buena HS and most recently at Pacifica HS.