Griffins finish with 25 wins after playoff ouster at COC

EastCountySports.com staff report

 

SANTA CLARITA – College of the Canyons defeated Grossmont College to reach the elite eight on Saturday in a five-game second-round thriller.

COC won 26-24, 14-25, 20-25, 25-21, 15-12, ending the Griffins terrific season.

The Cougars and the Griffins battled it out on the final day of Grossmont’s tourney back on Sept. 1, when COC defeated Grossmont in four sets (25-19, 25-21, 16-25, 25-18).

Grossmont (25-5) was riding a 19-match winning streak, including a perfect 16-0 mark during conference play. The team hadn’t lost since getting swept by Pierce College, the No. 1-ranked team in the state.

Canyons (24-2) now has a win streak at 14, after also going perfect in the Western State Conference, South Division. The last time the Cougars saw a loss was back on Sept. 30, when they fell to Santa Barbara College, which is tied with Pierce atop the state rankings.

 

In the Cougar Den, COC is a perfect 11-0 this season, including its first-round win over Ventura College on Tuesday. The wins marked the first time in 16 years COC had a postseason match on its home court. OCC is in the elite eight for the second time ever.

Grossmont pulled to within 11-9 in the fifth and was up 8-5 at the side switch.

A missed served by Grossmont gave the fourth set to COC, 25-21. COC led 12-9 and 19-16 in the fourth as they trailed the match, 2-1.

Back-to-back errors in the third gave Grossmont a 23-19 lead. A ball handling error extended the Grossmont lead to 19-14 earlier in the game. The set was tied at 10-10 when a kill gave Canyons an 11-10 lead.