Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College Volleyball team earned a trip to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Post Season Tournament Friday evening as they cruised past the Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer 25-13, 26-24, 21-25, 25-20 during the Black Out Block Party.

Prior to the game, Head Coach Chris Duarte McDermott recognized his three seniors who were taking part in their final home game of their collegiate careers, which included Torrey Mitsunaga (Culver City, Calif.), Haley Whyte (Mission Viejo, Calif.) and Jennifer Estrada (Pasadena, Calif.).

The Poets sent them off in style as they improved to 18-9, 9-6 SCIAC finishing fourth in the SCIAC Standings and clinching the program's second berth into the SCIAC Post Season Tournament and the first under the tutelage of Chris Duarte-McDermott.

"The win tonight was incredible," explained Duarte-McDermott.  Top four was a goal that we set at the beginning of the season.  The girls have been working so hard so it's great to see their hard work pay off and meet a goal."

The win was the Poets fourth straight as they wrap up clean sweeps for the season over Pomona-Pitzer, Chapman, Redlands, and Occidental.  

In front of a crowd of almost 500 strong wearing their black in support of the Black Out Block Party, the Purple & Gold jumped out in front quickly 16-8 led by Rebecca Slattery (Los Altos, Calif.) who had four of her game high 20 kills during that span.  Immediately following, the Poets would continue rolling with back to back kills from Whyte and Mitsunaga before capitalizing on a couple attacking errors from Stephanie Sun that put WC in front 1-0.

In the second, PP battled to keep the set close throughout.  Whittier managed to extend a lead to five at 19-14, but four in a row from the Sagehens would pull them within one at 19-18.  Casie Lowden (Glendora, Calif.) would come up with a service ace minutes later that gave the Poets a 22-19 lead but a couple of miscues by the Poets down the stretch would allow the Sagehens to tie things up at 24-24. 

But in the end, that's as close as they would get as Olive Anagu (Culver City, Calif.) and Lowden would go 1-2 to give the Poets some breathing room at 2-0.

In the third, it was all Pomona-Pitzer storming out in front 10-0 behind strong serving from Jessica Finn, which shocked the Poet faithful.  Whittier mounted a comeback in tiny spurts though to pull within three on a couple occasions late but it wouldn't be enough to overcome the early deficit as PP would take the third keeping the match alive.

In the fourth, the Poets rebounded going in front 4-0 with an ace from Mitsunaga and a kill from Slattery, Pomona-Pitzer would rally to pull within two 8-6 but couldn't get any closer than two points the rest of the frame as Whittier would weather a 4-0 run midway through and then a 6-1 run late before clinching the match with a kill in the middle from Alexis Mills (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.).

Lowden finished with seven kills and 16 digs, Estrada had 22 digs in the backrow, Mitsunaga had 24 assists, while Jasmine Tong (Fullerton, Calif.) totaled 16.  Up front, Whyte and Kyriaki Tsigkounis (Rialto, Calif.) combined for 10 of the teams 17 blocks, six from Whyte (1 solo/five assisted) and four from Tsigkounis.

In regards to the SCIAC Post Season Tournament preparations, Duarte-McDermott stated "we prepare the same way that we have been that put us in this situation.  The only difference is that we have a new goal.  The players not being in this situation before just makes it more exciting.  We get to go in with no expectations except to work hard and enjoy playing competitive volleyball." 

Whittier rounds out their regular season tonight, Saturday, October 31 as they travel to Pasadena, Calif. to take on Caltech beginning at 6:00pm.