Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

PASADENA, Calif. – The Whittier College Volleyball team won their sixth straight game Tuesday night as they cruised past Caltech 25-15, 25-16, 25-12.

The Purple & Gold have now completed the clean sweep over the Beavers on the season and improve to 13-8, 6-3 SCIAC, while earning their sixth straight victory.

The Poets used a .314 hitting percentage as a team, while going .310, .225, .424 through the three sets. 

Makenzie Thieme (Corona, Calif.) led the offense with 12 kills and eight digs.  Jazmyn Sudbrook-Johnson (Fremont, Calif.) continues to play strong adding eight kills on 16 attempts for a .438 hitting percentage and freshman Katelyn Popoff (Hacienda Heights, Calif.) added eight kills, hitting .500 with four digs.

Up front, Camryn Purdom (Moreno Valley, Calif.) posted 18 assists and eight digs along with two kills and Haley Petruescu (La Mirada, Calif.) added eight digs in the backrow as the libero.

Caltech kept it close in the first set staying within three at 12-9 but that's as close as they would get as WC would string together a 9-3 run that moved the score to 21-12.  During the run, the Poets added six straight with Madisen Diaz (Hacienda Heights, Calif.) putting together a strong serving effort supported by kills from Aubrey Caires (Gardnerville, NV) and Thieme.

Then to end the first set, the Poets buckled down and added four of the final five points to put CIT in an early hole.  In the second, the Poets continued to roll going on top 10-4 before stretching it to 17-7.  The Beavers attempted a comeback late with a 5-1 run that cut the deficit to seven but again the deficit was too much to overcome as Thieme and Sudbrook-Johnson would lock in the second stanza with back to back connections.

In the final frame, Caltech opened up with the first three points and tied things up at 7-7.  But they couldn't hold it as Whittier would tack on 15 of the next 17 points to swing the momentum making the score 22-9.

Then to end the sweep, Serena Alvarez (La Habra, Calif.) would add a strike and Thieme would cap it off with another kill. 

Whittier returns home for a big SCIAC showdown this Friday, October 12 against Occidental College beginning at 7:00pm to jumpstart Homecoming Weekend.