Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
Article by: Abby Salmon (Sports Information Intern)
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Whittier College Volleyball team traveled to Occidental College to kick off their second week of conference play Tuesday night. The Purple & Gold picked up the clean sweep 25-20, 25-16, 25-22 to improve back to .500.
Whittier improves to 7-7, 2-1 SCIAC and currently sits in a tie for 4th within the conference standings, while Oxy drops to 2-12, 0-3 SCIAC. The Poets have also won four of their last five.
The Poets began applying the offensive pressure right away with Marissa Montoya (Glendora, Calif.) earning two kills and both Alaina Rhee (Kent, WA) and Katelyn Popoff (Hacienda Heights, Calif.) contributing with a kill each all within the first ten points of set one. WC then began to separate themselves with back-to-back kills from Jazmyn Sudbrook-Johnson (Fremont, Calif.) and a service ace from Serena Alvarez (Hacienda Heights, Calif.), putting them up 10-5. This lead they would hold the rest of the way capped off with a kill from Valerie van der Linden (Auburn, Calif.).
Occidental came back strong in the second pulling ahead 5-1. But this lead did not last as the Purple & Gold were able to catch back up to make it a two-point game. It was then a six-point service run from Katie Engle (Whittier, Calif.) that put Whittier ahead by five and again the Tigers weren't able to catch up as WC totaled nine kills the rest of the way, four of which were assisted by Makayla Wright (Covina, Calif.).
In the third it was Whittier that started off with an early lead at 7-3 with the help of an early block from Rhee and Franki Piloto (Ontario, Calif.) and three kills from Popoff. However, Oxy was able to catch up, making it a tight game in the middle of the set at 14-14. The Poets were able to separate once again though, forcing the Tigers to play catch up for a second time as they got within one at 23-22. But this was the closest they would get as the Purple & Gold would earn the side out with another kill from Popoff and eventually pulling off the road win with a kill from Sudbrook-Johnson.
Popoff finished with 13 kills on 32 attempts, while hitting .312. Montoya added eight kills and Piloto and Sudbrook-Johnson each with seven. Wright added 21 dimes up front along with 15 pick-ups and Engle and Montoya each added 13 and 11 digs, respectively.
Whittier returns to the court this Friday, September 27 when they host the Uni. of Redlands beginning at 7:00pm.
