Moorpark College women's volleyball coach Steve Burkhart on the Southern California regional playoffs, in which the Raiders were seeded No. 4 Sunday:

"We don't know too much about (semifinal opponent) Mount SAC. We haven't had much contact with them. I'm sure they've got good players.

"This is probably one of the strongest 1-16 draws that we've had in a long time. Usually, you're down to 12-13 and there are some teams that have struggled, but 12-16 teams this year are equally of capable of winning matches."

Steve Burkhart had an interesting spin on the Moorpark College women's volleyball team's dramatic five-game loss at Santa Barbara City Tuesday night, when the Raiders saw their 11-match overall and 18-match conference winning streaks snapped.

"For 17 years, we've watched Golden West lose about this time and use the experience to refocus," said the Moorpark coach.

The theory matches the coaching adage that you learn a lot more about yourself from a loss than you do from a winning streak.

The Huntington Beach school has 17 state championships.

The Moorpark College women's volleyball team had emerged from a dramatic third game on the brink of clinching its second straight Western State Conference title.

That's when Santa Barbara City began defending its home court.

Maria Mayer, Nicole Bergmann and Emelia Shugrue had 13 kills apiece as Santa Barbara City, ranked No. 6 in the state coaches poll, came roaring back to take the fourth game and a decisive fifth game, 15-11, to win its 15 straight home match and pull within a flat-footed tie with No. 6 Moorpark Tuesday night.

"They really stepped it up and we just didn't respond," said Moorpark coach Steve Burkhart. "I thought they played better defense and out-transitioned us."

Things fell apart for the Raiders after gutting out the third game, 28-26, to take a 2-1 lead.

"We lost our composure a little bit in that fourth game and it went to the fifth game, where anything can happen," said Burkhart.

The Vaqueros (17-2, 7-1) were led by star middle blockers Bergmann and Jenn Waddill, who hit .440 and .346, respectively, in combining for 24 kills.

Una Siljegovic 19 kills and three blocks, Rachel Olinyk had 10 kills and five blocks and Mimi Sander had 26 digs for Moorpark (17-2, 7-1), which had dropped just two games in winning 11 straight matches overall, including a four-game win over the Vaqueros at Raider Pavilion on Oct. 20.

"I wasn't disapointed with our effort," said Burkhart. "I know the girls are disappointed with the loss."

The Raiders, who had won 19 straight in WSC North play since Nov. 2007, face the tough road trip to Cuesta Friday.

"We just go back to work," said Burkhart. "We've got a tough game on Friday. We're going to have to respond."

Leave it to its cross-county rivals to get the cruising Moorpark College women's volleyball team into gear.

Host Ventura opened eyes by taking the first game before the Raiders, ranked No. 4 in the state coaches poll, responded Tuesday night with a four-game victory, 23-25, 25-16, 25-14, 25-16.

Una Siljegovic had 20 kills, 11 digs and four blocks, Shakila Balki had 12 kills and 20 digs and Rachael Olinyk had 15 kills and four blocks as Moorpark (14-1, 6-0) pushed its winning streaks to 10 straight overall and 18 straight in Western State Conference North Division play dating back to Nov. 2007 with its fifth straight win over its pesky rival.

"They played hard in the first game and kind of took it to us a little bit," said Moorpark coach Steve Burkhart. "But we responded well. I was really was pleased with that."

Sandra Alvarez had seven kills, Justine O'Connor had 24 assists and Andrea Bennent had 17 digs for Ventura (8-9, 3-3), which taught the WSC North leaders a vital lesson.

"Teams are going to come after you," said Burkhart. "It doesn't matter what their record is. It's a good lesson for our girls to learn.

"I thought it was a great effort by VC. They did a lot of good things out there."

Kayla Phipps, Ventura's 6-foot-2 middle, had six kills and three blocks on the right side.

"She's a big block and we hit it a lot," said Burkhart. "I think it worked for them a little bit to have her over there."

It also made Moorpark work a little harder.

"They were fired up," said Ventura coach Mandy Rodriguez of her team. "They wanted to come out ... and show Moorpark they could play with them.

"They played with a ton of heart and forced Moorpark to step up their game."

The Moorpark College women's volleyball team walked the service line
in Tuesday night's Western State Conference showdown.

The Raiders, ranked No. 3 in the state, used effective serving to keep
the WSC's top two hitters, Jen Waddill and Nicole Bergmann, off
balance in a four-game win over No. 7 Santa Barbara City at Raider
Pavilion.

"That was really one of the key things," said Moorpark coach Steve
Burkhart. "We had a really good gameplan going into this match and we
really executed it."

Middle blocker Rachel Olinyk had 16 kills and four blocks, outside
hitter Shakila Balkhi had 16 kills and libero Mimi Sandler had 39 digs
as Moorpark (13-1) improved to 3-0 in WSC North play with a 25-20,
24-26, 25-22, 25-18.

Despite the top two hitters in WSC hitting percentage, Santa Barbara
fell to 12-2, 1-1.

"We got it done," saud Burkhart. "Our overall team passing and defense
really was the best it's been."

Ventura 3, Hancock 0: Sandra Alvarez had eight kills, Justine O'Connor had 22
assists, Andrea Bennett had 18 digs and Anne Westbrook had five blocks as Ventura (7-7, 2-1 WSC North) swept 25-20, 25-19, 25-18.

Cuesta 3, Oxnard 0:Outside hitter Andi Perez led the way offensively for Oxnard (6-5, 0-3 WSC North), which fell 25-16, 25-16, 25-10.

The eastern half of the county scored a decisive victory on Rivalry Tuesday.

Lindsey McClellan's first half goal lifted the unbeaten Moorpark College
women's soccer team over nationally ranked Ventura College, 1-0, Tuesday
afternoon.

The Moorpark College women¹s volleyball team, ranked No. 3 in the state
coaches' poll, followed that cross-county rivalry Raiders victory with one
of its own, in three games, at home on Tuesday night.

"We talked about the soccer win before our match," said Moorpark volleyball
coach Steve Burkhart. "It inspired us."

Moorpark had previously beaten Ventura in women¹s soccer once in the teams'
previous 27 meetings dating back to 1996. That 1-0 home win helped the
Raiders win the 2007 Western State Conference title.

With McClellan's 12th goal of the season, finished on top of the box after cutting in from the wing, Moorpark (8-0-3) finished the first round of play in the WSC, having
outscored its opponents, 18-1.

Una Siljegovic had 14 kills and three blocks, Shakila Balkhi had nine kills
and Mimi Sander had eight digs as Moorpark (11-1) opened 1-0 in WSC North
play, 25-17, 25-16, 25-19.

"It's always a part of the goals," said Burkhart of winning the rivalry
match. "I thought we played pretty good defense, but we made a lot of
hitting errors."

Steve Burkhart was surprised this week when the Moorpark College women's volleyball team opened up ranked No. 6 in the initial state coaches poll.

"For me that's a little high," said the Moorpark coach.

But it's difficult to argue about the Raiders' start.

Moorpark improved to 6-1 Tuesday with a straight game win at West Los Angeles.

"I like the start and we hope we can continue it," said Burkhart. "We've beaten some good teams."

Moorpark's only loss came to two-time defending state champion El Camino, the top-ranked team in the state.

"We've got a ways to catch them," said Burkhart, "so there's some work to do."

All-State outside hitter Savannah Thomas has moved on to UC Riverside, but Moorpark returns key sophomores in outside hitter Una Siljegovic and middle blocker Rachel Olinyk.

"We relied on (Thomas) a lot last year," said Burkhart of the 2008 Western State Conference Player of the Year. "I think we have a little more balance this year."

Moorpark has been boosted by setter Olivia White, a La Reina High product who transferred from the San Francisco Institute of Art, and outside hitter Shakila Balkhi, a Simi Valley High product who transferred from the University of Newfoundland.

"That's about as far as you can bounce back," said Burkhart. "She's been the biggest surprise for us so far. She's been terrific."

Newbury Park High products Chelcy Westphal and Erika Smith, whose twin sister Rachel is playing at Cal Lutheran, have moved right into the lineup as freshmen.

They will all be needed if Moorpark is to retain its WSC North title.

"The league is going to be much better this year," said Burkhart. "Ventura has taken a big step up. Even a team like Oxnard (is looking good).

"Santa Barbara has already beaten two teams from the Orange Empire (Conference) in Golden West and Fullerton."

Ventura (4-4) has a strong freshmen class, including outside hitters Shelbee Younce (Buena High) and Chelsea O'Mara (Oxnard High), as well 6-foot-2 middle blocker Kayla Phipps (Buena)

Oxnard (4-0) is off to its best start in recent memory behind sophomore outside hitter Dominique Franz and freshman setter Vanessa Valdez. Eight of the 10 players on the Condors roster are from Oxnard.

Despite being 11-2, it doesn't look like the Moorpark College men's volleyball team will win the Western State Conference title.

The Raiders (11-2, 4-2) fell in four games to first-place Long Beach City (12-1, 6-0) March 25. Both of their losses have been to the Vikings.

"Long Beach is tough this year," said Moorpark coach Steve Burkhart. "Our goal now is to try to get second (place) and get a home (playoff) game."

Moorpark's setback may hold a silver lining, as the Raiders were also swept by Long Beach during their state championship season of 2005.

The Raiders host Santa Monica Wednesday and El Camino Friday.

The Moorpark College men's volleyball team swept the San Diego and Orange County schools in winning the first seven matches of the season for the first time in the seven-year history of the school.

The Raiders did not drop a game in sweeping the San Diego quartet of San Diego Mesa, Palomar, Grossmont and San Diego City, then dropped just three games in completing the Pacific Coast Conference sweep in wins over Orange Coast, Irvine Valley and Golden West.

"It's the first time in the history of the program that we won every game (against the other conference)," said Moorpark coach Steve Burkhart. "I'm just proud of the fact that we have all Ventura County kids and we beat the four programs in San Diego County and the three programs in Orange County, which is always considered such a volleyball Mecca.

"It's just the stamp of what I know, that Ventura County has good volleyball players."

The Raiders, who didn't start as strong in their state championship season of 2005, fell to 7-1 Wednesday night after dropping their Western State Conference opener to Long Beach City (7-1).

"We ran into a storm last night," said Burkhart Thursday. "Long Beach is just way good."

Moorpark, which was hitting .371 as a team entering this week, has been boosted by the play of Ryan Trauger. The outside hitter from Royal, who was limited Wednesday by an ankle injury, leads the WSC by hitting a gaudy .513.

"He's been the best player that I've seen in the conference," said Burkhart. "He's been unbelievable."

Former Moorpark High setter Adam Quinn, 6-foot-8 middle blocker Sean Martin, a Buena High graduate, and libero Brendan Keane, an Oak Park High product, have been key in the Raiders' fast start.

"We've got a few weapons, a few tools, but our conference is so strong," said Burkhart.

It may be November, but the Ventura College women's soccer team and the Moorpark College women's volleyball team remain perfect in Western State Conference play.

The Pirates (14-1-3), ranked No. 7 in the NSCAA's national poll, are 7-0 in the WSC North with entering its two season-deciding matches. VC (21 points) visits third-place Moorpark Tuesday at 1 p.m. and second-place Santa Barbara City Nov. 11 at 1 p.m.

"That's a good schedule isn't it, when you've got your three biggest games of the season on the road," joked VC coach Steve Hoffman. "At least it prepares you for the playoffs.

"We're ready."

Ranked No. 8 in the state, Moorpark volleyball completed an undefeated 5-0 swing through the first round of WSC North play last week with a sweep of rival Ventura.

This week, the Raiders visit Hancock Tuesday and host Santa Barbara City Friday.

Outside hitter Una Siljegovic had 13 kills and libero Roxy Ghassemi had nine digs as the Moorpark College women's volleyball team wrapped up an unbeaten first swing through the first round of play in the Western State Conference's North Division with a three-game sweep of county rival Ventura Tuesday night at Raider Pavilion.

Moorpark (15-4, 5-0), ranked No. 8 in the state, swept Ventura (7-10, 2-3) 25-16, 25-18 and 25-15.

"Our goal every year is to be No. 1 on Nov 1," said Moorpark coach Burkhart. "That's where we're at.

"Now it's just a matter of playing better against every team the second time around.

The cross-county rivals combined from seven straight WSC titles from 1999 to 2005. Yet Burkhart presented his team with plenty of examples of conference-winning teams that dropped cross-county rivalry matches.

The Moorpark College women's volleyball team officially became the team to beat in the Western State Conference's North Division Tuesday.

The Raiders, ranked No. 8 in the state, traveled to San Luis Obispo and swept Cuesta, the two-time defending WSC North champion, in under an hour, 25-17, 25-10, 25-11.

I've played up there 18 years and I can't remember being so dominant," said Moorpark coach Steve Burkhart. "We were just ready to play.

"It was by far the best match that we've played this year. I'm just hoping it can be the catalyst to move on.

Outside hitters Savannah Thomas and Una Siljegovic had 16 kills and 11 kills, respectively, Roxy Ghassemi had seven digs and Kayla Ingraham added five blocks.
Middle blocker Rachel Olinyk leads the WSC with 36 blocks and is third in the WSC in hitting (.341).

"We've been passing pretty well, but we passed unbelievably," said Burkhart.
"When you go play there, you don't know what to expect. You travel for two and a half hours and everything seems to be against you.

"We went up 10-3 in the first game and we never looked back."

Moorpark hosts local rivals Oxnard and Ventura Friday and Tuesday, respectively.

Moorpark College women's volleyball team (11-4), which started WSC North play strong Tuesday night with a sweep of visiting Hancock, is ranked No. 7 in the state this week by the coaches association.

"I saw that," said coach Steve Burkhart. "I like to think we're worthy of that, although I'm not so sure all the time.

"We're still struggling at times to find consistency."

Two of the most consistent Raiders have been outside hitters Savannah Thomas and Una Siljegovic.

"In women's volleyball, you've got to have a hammer," said Burkhart. "You need to have someone who can put the ball on the floor consistently. When you have two of those players, it only makes you better."

Five years since its last Western State Conference title, the Moorpark College women's volleyball team may be ready to retake its throne.

Despite a loss Tuesday to top-ranked Los Angeles Pierce (16-1), the Raiders are 8-4 and ranked No. 8 in the state and No. 5 in Southern California.

"We're happy with our start," said Moorpark coach Steve Burkhart. "We have some solid players this year.

"This is probably our best group in the last three or four years."

The Raiders are led by outside hitters Una Siljegovic and Savannah Thomas and middle blockers Kayla Ingraham and Rachael Olinyk.

Siljegovic is the sister of former Moorpark All-American Nena Siljegovic. Both Siljegovic and Ingraham are Royal High products.

Moorpark has beaten four ranked teams, including No. 14 San Joaquin Delta, No. 17 Irvine Valley and No. 19 Long Beach and No. 20 Bakersfield. No other WSC North team is ranked.