Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – Sophomore Franki Piloto (Ontario, Calif.) led the Whittier College Volleyball team Tuesday night with a career high 18 kills on 36 attempts, while hitting .389 as the Poets swept Caltech 25-22, 25-16, 25-18.

With the win the Purple & Gold have now won three of their last four and improve to 11-14, 6-8 SCIAC, while keeping their Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Tournament hopes alive.

Piloto started off the first set with back-to-back kills and added three more just in the opening frame.  Whittier held a slight advantage throughout until the 14-14 mark when CIT managed to use a kill and an attacking error to gain two leads.  But these would be the only advantages they would hold the rest of the way as Piloto sparked a 4-0 run getting help from Aubrey Caires (Gardnerville, NV) and Abby Salmon (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.).  Caltech was able to tie things up at 19 and then again at 21 but couldn't get over the hump as a pair of kills from Kathea Schamblin (Bakersfield, Calif.) along with two attacking errors would give WC an early 1-0 lead.    

Set two opened up with consecutive kills from Salmon and Schamblin.  Caltech though was able to pull ahead for a moment leading at 10-9.  But four unanswered with kills coming from Salmon and Schamblin would swing the momentum putting WC on top 13-10.  The margin extended to 16-12 following a nice service run from Makayla Wright (Covina, Calif.) and after a pair of attacking errors by CIT, Whittier was able to push the lead to 19-13.  Down the stretch Piloto would tack on another three tallies with the second set being locked in thanks to Marissa Montoya (Glendora, Calif.) and her run of four straight capped off with a kill from Valerie van der Linden (Auburn, Calif.). 

Piloto continued to add to her record night in the third set as she picked up four of the Poets first five points.  Quickly after Schamblin would then add two more kills to put WC on top 11-10 and Piloto would secure the run with two more kills joined by Salmon who recorded a solo block.  Caltech fought back to get within two at 17-15, but kills from Piloto and Sudbrook-Johnson would keep the deficit at five.  The Beavers broke up the run with a kill from Sydney Richardson, but after that it was all Purple & Gold with Montoya putting on a serving clinic of four in a row, which included an ace along with Sudbrook-Johnson getting fed by Haley Petruescu (La Mirada, Calif.) for the final point of the match.       

Schamblin added seven kills along with 15 digs and two blocks.  Sudbrook-Johnson with three kills and two block assists and Katelyn Popoff (Hacienda Heights, Calif.) with four kills and six digs.  Petruescu finished with 14 assists and nine digs and Wright added 13 digs, two service aces, and double digit digs with 10.  Katie Engle (Whittier, Calif.) also in the backrow added 12 digs along with Montoya.    

Whittier travels this Friday, November 1 for a big match-up with Pomona-Pitzer.  Game time is set for 7:00pm.