Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Whittier College volleyball team continuous to slide as they dropped their last two games and their fifth in a row falling in a tight five set match to Occidental before dropping in straights to No. 18 Claremont-M-S.

After starting off conference play 4-2 the Poets have now dropped to 4-7 and 6-14 overall.

Match 1 (Occidental College; L, 3-2 – 24-26, 27-25, 26-28, 25-21, 14-16)

 After a back and forth first set, which the Poets would see the Tigers grab, they would fight back to even the match winning the second capped off with kills from Malia Valdivieso (Chula Vista, Calif.) and Rebecca Slattery (Los Altos, Calif.).

The third set would see another overtime session with the Poets holding on to a 17-15 lead.  But the lead would soon diminish as Oxy would go out in front 22-21, their first lead of the set.  Casie Lowden (Glendora, Calif.) would keep the Poets in striking distance as she hammered two kills to keep WC even but the final two points of the frame would go the way of the Tigers as they would go in front 2-1.

It was all Whittier in the fourth behind a plethora of errors by the Tigers, which allowed Whittier to go in front 19-14.  They would hold on to the lead behind a kill from Torrey Mitsunaga (Culver City, Calif.) and a service ace from Haley Whyte (Mission Viejo, Calif.), which leveled the match at two.

In the fifth and decisive set the stanza would be tied at 11-11, Slattery would spoil one match point with a kill at 14-13 but an Oxy block and a kill from Claire Strohm would secure the win for the Tigers 16-14.

Slattery finished with 20 kills with two block assists.  Lowden was right behind her with 19 kills on 44 attempts for a .273 hitting percentage but also had a career high 31 digs.  Clarissa Standafer (Alta Loma, Calif.) had 17 digs and Mitsunaga had a career and match high 60 assists to go with 14 digs. 

Match 2 (No. 18 Claremont-M-S; L, 3-0 – 15-25, 18-25, 14-25)

The previous time these two teams met the Poets provided a scare for the Athena's taking the first set almost forcing a fifth.  This time around it was all CMS as they completed the sweep 25-15, 25-18, 25-14 at the Linde Activities Center. 

The big front line for CMS proved effective as they combined for seven blocks.  Slattery again led the offense with 14 kills on 32 attempts for a .344 hitting percentage and three block assists.  She was the lone Poet in double figures as Standafer would finish with 12 digs in the back row, while Mitsunaga collected 20 assists. 

Whittier remains on the road as they travel to Redlands this Tuesday, October 21 when they take on the Bulldogs beginning at 7:30pm.