COLLEGES:Welch is at home on court

As a football and volleyball star at Corona del Mar High, Kevin Welch developed a reputation as the ultimate competitor.

After graduating in 2005, Welch became a football walk-on at Indiana, leaving Southern California and his promising volleyball career behind.

Welch, however, elected to leave Hoosier land after one year, and has rekindled his passion for volleyball as a member of the Orange Coast College men’s team.

A 6-foot-2 outside hitter, Welch has been a catalyst behind a solid start for Coach Travis Turner’s Pirates, who are 3-1 heading into Wednesday’s nonconference match against visiting Santa Monica at 3 p.m.

Welch, the CIF Southern Section Division II Player of the Year in boys’ volleyball in 2005, when he led the Sea Kings to the Division II crown, said he plans to leave OCC for a four-year school after this season.

Welch, who redshirted at Indiana, will have three years of eligibility left in Division I volleyball and he said he is weighing potential opportunities at Pepperdine, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara and USC.

“It’s fun to be competing again,” said Welch, who plans to play libero at his next collegiate stop. “I felt football wasn’t going anywhere. I just wanted to switch sports and I wanted to come home. It was a combination of a lot of factors [that led to his departure from Indiana].”

Turner is pleased to have him aboard.

“He’s just a competitor and he has bumped us up a notch,” said Turner, in his first season at the Pirates’ helm.

Welch was a three-time All-Newport-Mesa performer in football and volleyball at CdM.

He said he was shifted from receiver to safety in the spring after his redshirt season at Indiana and was up to 211 pounds.

He is now back to 195, where he plans to stay as he pursues his volleyball future.

The 6-1 outside hitter, a native of Germany, said she plans to return to Germany in two years.

A two-time All-American, she has not left volleyball behind entirely, however, as she recently finished second with partner Saralyn Smith at the Southern California Volleyball Assn. Huntington Beach Pro-Am beach tournament.

“I think the beach game is perfect for her,” OCC Coach Chuck Cutenese said. “Right now, we’re waiting on what avenues she would have to take to make sure she can play and still attend college on her student visa.”

Coach John Speraw’s Anteaters (15-3, 9-3 in the MPSF), enter Wednesday’s crucial match at UC Santa Barbara in third place, behind Pepperdine (11-1, 9-1) and UCSB (13-3, 10-2).

The Anteaters, who swept three matches last week, moved up to No. 2 in the American Volleyball Coaches Assn. poll released Monday.

Pepperdine, which swept former No. 1 BYU twice at home last week and swept UCI on the road Jan. 27, is No. 1.

UCSB, which UCI defeated in five games Jan. 20 at the Bren Events Center, is No. 3, while BYU is No. 4.

Senior Matt Morris leads the Big West Conference with a .563 batting average.