Box Score Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
LA VERNE, Calif. – The Whittier College volleyball team wrapped up their regular season with a three set loss to the Leopards of the University of La Verne Saturday afternoon falling 21-25, 8-25, 20-25.
Whittier closes out 2012 missing the SCIAC Post Season Tournament after earning a berth in it last year in 2011. They finish the season 10-18, 5-11 SCIAC and finish 6th in the SCIAC standings.
Alyssa Sialaris led with a game high 15 kills on 42 attempts for a .238 hitting percentage and missed having a double double as she finished with nine digs. Sialaris was one of four Poets to register a kill and was the lone Poet who recorded double digits.
Brittany Yaxley led the Leopards with 12 kills on 30 attempts, while Randi-Taylor Toomay finished with 10 kills on 23 attempts to go with 11 digs.
Maria Montero got the nod at setter and finished with 16 assists, while her counterpart Kendall Kraiss finished with 31.
La Verne opened up the first set on a 4-0 run and then extended their lead to 13-9 before Whittier mounted a comeback pulling even at 16-16 capped off by a Sialaris kill. But this would be as close as they would get in the set as La Verne would erupt for a 5-0 run extending their lead back to five, which they didn't relinquish.
The second set proved to be all La Verne as they finished with a .417 hitting percentage opening up the set on a 7-0 run and then extending it to 10-1, which proved to be to be a major obstacle for the Purple & Gold to overcome.
In the third set, Whittier used a 3-0 run early to pull within one at 10-9 and then evened the set up at 11-11 before La Verne would earn a 5-0 run that put them in front 19-14. Whittier would battle however and pull within one at 21-20 behind three unanswered, but the Leopards would close out the set on a 3-0 run that propelled them to the straight sets victory.
