Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – Junior Rebecca Slattery (Los Altos, Calif.) put together her most impressive performance of 2015 Saturday night as she totaled 24 kills on 43 attempts for a .512 hitting percentage that lifted the volleyball team to the 25-20, 25-20, 20-25, 28-26 victory over Occidental College.
The win breaks the three match losing skid for the Purple & Gold as they improve to 8-5, 1-3 SCIAC, while Occidental drops to 2-6, 1-3 SCIAC.
Whittier found themselves trailing early in the first set 12-8 but put together a 4-0 run with back to back kills from Olive Anagu (Culver City, Calif.) that evened up the frame. Jasmine Tong (Fullerton, Calif.) and Casie Lowden (Glendora, Calif.) would then combine for kills of their own that gave Whittier a 20-17 lead and Slattery would finish off the first with a kill of her own that put Whittier in front.
WC continued where they left off going out in front 4-0 in the second set with kills from Haley Whyte (Mission Viejo, Calif.) and Slattery. It then stretched to 8-2 following back to back to back kills from Slattery and the Poets wouldn't look back as they continued to roll capping off the set with two kills from Lowden.
In the third, the Poets were playing catch-up a majority of the set until they fought to tie things up at 20-20 with another two kills from Slattery but the Tigers would rally to earn the next five points that kept them alive.
In the fourth, Whittier dominated going in front quickly 10-5 and they continued to pour it on leading 21-13 but Oxy didn't go away quietly battling all the way back with a 14-2 run led by Cassandra Guidice that gave them a 23-22 lead. They would then receive a set point at 24-23 following a Jennifer Estrada (Pasadena, Calif.) service error but the Purple & Gold weathered the storm getting a Lowden kill that tied things up at 24-24 before Slattery took over finishing off the set in style with three more strikes that propelled the Poets to the four set victory.
Along with her 24 kills, Slattery also finished with three block assists and two digs. Anagu totaled nine kills and four digs, Torrey Mitsunaga (Culver City, Calif.) finished with a match high 35 assists, with Tong grabbing 16 herself, Whyte had five blocks (1 solo/4 assist), Estrada had 11 digs, and Lowden collected eight kills and a game high 18 digs.
Whittier returns to the court this Tuesday, September 29 as they travel to Orange, Calif. to take on Chapman University beginning at 7:30pm.
