Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Whittier College volleyball team ends their trip in Washington D.C. going a perfect 4-0 on the trip not dropping a game earning victories over Messiah, Mary Washington, Catholic, and Marymount to win the Worthington Classic Championship.

Not only did they sweep the competition in D.C. they did so in impressive fashion sweeping all four opponents in three games moving their winning streak to five.  Senior outside hitter Alayna Rigo (Chino Hills, Calif.) was also named to her third straight All-Tournament Team this season being named the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament after totaling 49 kills on 133 attempts for a .368 hitting percentage, 25 digs, and five blocks.

Game 1 (Messiah W; 26-24, 25-16, 25-15)

Whittier opened up their D.C. trip in impressive fashion sweeping Messiah who won the Worthington Classic last year.  The Poets came ready to play winning 26-24, 25-16, 25-15 led by Rigo who finished with a game high 18 kills on 41 attempts for a .293 hitting percentage.

Alyssa Acosta (Whittier, Calif.) and Adrianna Moore (La Habra, Calif.) led the defensive unit finishing with 19 and 29 digs respectively, while Torrey Mitsunaga (Culver City, Calif.) finished with 25 assists.

After a dismal first set where they hit .070, the Poets came out strong in set No. 2 hitting .395 led up front by Rebecca Slattery (Mountain View, Calif.) who tallied seven kills on 15 attempts for a .467 hitting percentage, which went along with four block assists.  Then in the final set the Poets jumped out in front quickly and maintained a slight margin till the end helping them come away with their first victory on the trip.            

Game 2 (Mary Washington W; 25-23, 2517, 25-22)

In the second game of day one the Poets matched up against Mary Washington and continued their dominance winning their second straight match in straight sets winning 25-23, 25-17, 25-22.

Again Rigo led the offense reaching double digits with 12 kills on 26 attempts for a .308 hitting percentage, she was joined by Slattery who posted nine kills on 14 attempts for a .571 hitting percentage.  She also had a solo block and two block assists on the afternoon.

In the back row, Acosta finished with 19 digs, while Mitsunaga and Maria Montero (Hemet, Calif.)  finished with 17 and 13 assists, each respectively.         

Game 3 (Catholic W; 25-19, 25-17, 25-22)

Coming out on day two the Poets picked up from where they left off finishing off Catholic University in straight sets earning a spot in the Championship Game against Marymount.  Rigo finished with a game high 11 kills, while Courtney DeLano (Riverside, Calif.) collected 10 kills on 15 attempts for a .667 hitting percentage.

Acosta finished with 24 digs in the back row, while Slattery totaled three solo blocks and two block assists.       

Game 4 (Marymount W; 25-23, 25-15, 25-16)

In the Championship Game, Whittier jumped out in front quickly in the first set but saw Marymount comeback to even the match at 23 before Lauren Whiteman (Mission Viejo, Calif.) would tally a kill coupled with an attacking error by Marymount helping the Purple & Gold grab the crucial first set.  In the second it was all Whittier as they would get out of the gates quickly 8-3 and then 11-5 en route to winning 25-15.

In the final set the Poets defensive unit kept it difficult for Marymount to get any momentum thanks to Acosta who finished with 23 digs in the back row.  Rigo again tallied double digit kills finishing with 11, while Slattery totaled nine on 20 attempts along with a solo block and two block assists. 

Whittier returns home this evening and will get a much needed day off before preparing for a road contest on Tuesday, October 1 against Chapman University beginning at 7:30pm.