Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College Volleyball team had nine match-points Tuesday night against the University of La Verne but couldn't secure any of them as the Leopards weathered the storm to come back to win in five sets inside of the Graham Athletic Center.

It was the match of the year as the Purple & Gold led 2-1 before seeing ULV come back to pull off the 25-20, 20-25, 22-25, 27-25, 19-17 victory.  Whittier drops to 8-9, 3-3 SCIAC, while La Verne improves to 10-6, 4-1 SCIAC.

After losing the first set the Poets regrouped to take the second leveling the match.  They hit .293 in the stanza and put together five unanswered early that gave them a 13-7 lead.  During the run Aubrey Caires (Gardnerville, NV) added a strike and Marissa Montoya (Glendora, Calif.) with a pair.  In the same set ULV managed to battle back to get within three on two different occasions at 19-16 and 23-20 but both times WC was able to counter with the final two points of the set coming from Franki Piloto (Ontario, Calif.) and Alaina Rhee (Kent, WA).

Whittier carried the momentum into the third jumping out in front 8-3, which included four straight kills from Rhee, Piloto, and Katelyn Popoff (Hacienda Heights, Calif.).  La Verne was able to get back within two at 12-10 and then rallied again down the stretch with a 7-1 run that swung the momentum putting them on top 20-18.  But this advantage wouldn't hold as the Purple & Gold would go on to win seven of the next nine points, which included the final three tallies coming from Abby Salmon (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and Kathea Schamblin (Bakersfield, Calif.).

Leading 2-1, WC put ULV in a big hole in the fourth set as sophomore Makayla Wright (Covina, Calif.) put on a serving clinic as Whittier raced out to a 9-0 lead.  A kill by Schamblin and a ball handling error would move the score to 11-1 and after that it was all Whittier as they used five of seven midway through that put them on top 22-14.  Rhee and Popoff were each able to tally connections following three straight from ULV that gave the Poets seven match points at 24-17.  But after that the wheels fell off as freshman Emily Heldenbrand for the Leos would put together eight in a row serving, getting four kills from her teammates as ULV would make the miraculous comeback to go on top 25-24.  A bad set from Emma Estigoy would stop the run tying things up at 25-25 but a pair of kills from Ayana Mier in the middle would secure the fourth set deadlocking the match at 2-2.

In the fifth it was back and forth until Popoff strung together a couple kills to move the score to 9-6.  Four unanswered by ULV tied things up at 10-10 and after that it was a battle, which included six ties and four lead changes.  The Poets had a couple looks at the match following a kill from Piloto making the score 13-12 and then from Schamblin at 15-14.  But both would come up empty as ULV would clinch the come from behind victory following kills by Haley Celaya and Pi'ikea Clemens. 

Popoff finished with a team high 22 kills coupled with 11 digs.  Piloto added 14 kills and Rhee in the middle tacked on 13, while hitting .423 along with three block assists.  Wright and Haley Petruescu (La Mirada, Calif.) combined up front.  Wright finished with 38 assists with three aces and 13 pick-ups.  Petruescu added 20 digs, and ace along with 13 digs and Katie Engle (Whittier, Calif.) led the backrow with 25 digs and five assists.                  

Whittier returns to action this Friday, October 4 when they travel up to Thousand Oaks, Calif. to take on Cal Lutheran University beginning at 7:00pm.