Box Score Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College volleyball team dropped their third straight match Tuesday evening and their fifth in the last six falling 25-22, 25-18, 25-16 to the Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer.
With the loss the Poets drop to 6-12, 4-5 SCIAC, while Pomona-Pitzer improves to 14-7, 6-3 SCIAC.
Casie Lowden (Glendora, Calif.) led the Poets on offense with 13 kills to go with six digs. Rebecca Slattery (Los Altos, Calif.) was second up front with seven kills and Haley Whyte (Mission Viejo, Calif.) and Jennifer Estrada (Pasadena, Calif.) had six kills apiece.
In the back row defensively, Clarissa Standafer (Alta Loma, Calif.) and Estrada were in double digits in digs with 19 and 16, each respectively, while Torrey Mitsunaga (Culver City, Calif.) ran the offensive unit with 28 assists.
The Poets came in attempting to stop 1st Team All-SCIAC performer and AVCA All-West Regional selection Allie Frappier but to no avail as she would finish with a game high 17 kills on 44 attempts for a .250 hitting percentage.
The first set was a seesaw battle until midway through when the Purple & Gold jumped in front 18-14 forcing PP to call a timeout. Following the break, the Sagehens would come out firing winning five of the next six points to level the set at 19-19.
The frame would be even once more at 22-22 but two kills from Ellen Yamasaki and Kelli Derrah and an attacking error by the Poets would give the first to the Sagehens. In the second the Poets trailed 5-0 early and tried to mount a comeback pulling within four 19-15 after a big kill from Slattery but the Sagehens would rattle off a 6-3 run to close out the second putting the Poets in a 2-0 hole.
In one final effort, the Poets pushed in the third going out in front early 8-6 but a 6-1 run would put the Sagehens in front 12-9, a lead they wouldn't relinquish as they would use a 5-0 run late to move the score to 17-10 before finishing off the match with the final four points.
Whittier hits the road for three matches beginning with Occidental this Friday, October 17 at 7:30pm and then Claremont-M-S this Saturday, October 18 at 6:00pm and then wrapping up the trip against Redlands next week on Tuesday, October 21 at 7:30pm.
