ORANGE, Calif. (Oct. 11, 2021) – The Whittier College volleyball team continued its stellar run as of late at Chapman University, beating the Panthers 3-1 in a battle of two of the SCIAC's hottest teams. Whittier had previously beaten Chapman, 3-1, on Dave Jacobs Court to earn Head Coach Chris Duarte-McDermott his 100th win for the Purple & Gold. The victory also marks the first time the Poets have ever beaten the Panthers twice in one season.

Coming off a week where several team and personal bests were set, the Poets managed to outdo themselves once again, but Tuesday's match bore a few similarities to the previous Chapman meeting aside from the score. Led by senior Katelyn Popoff (Hacienda Heights, Calif. / Sonora), the Poets won the first set despite being out-attacked by the opponent. The last time this happened to the Poets came during the first set of the previous meeting with the Panthers. In spite of this, the Poets gutted out a 28-26 victory to create some early momentum, intent to make lightning strike twice.

After a more comfortable second set where the Poets got sophomore Xenia Villagomez (Corona, Calif. / Santiago) more involved in the attack, the Purple & Gold showed once again they were up to the task of overcoming some adversity with a statement 25-15 putaway set in the fourth. In order to make it happen, Popoff and Villagomez set two more season bests. The senior, who had 16 kills, also set a career-high with 25 digs to go with three assisted blocks. As for Villagomez, the sophomore had 15 kills to just one error, giving her a .519 attacking percentage for the most efficient game played by a Poet this season. Additionally, Villagomez went on to have a monstrous game at the net, accounting for six of Whittier's season-best 28 assisted blocks. Freshman Analise Kusleika (Upland, Calif. / Claremont) also made an immense contribution to that total with three of the visitors' four solo blocks and seven assisted.

Whittier's tenacity and ability to put together complete points have served them well during this winning streak. During the final set, the Poets held the Panthers to a negative attacking percentage, forcing the home team into beating itself in order to come away with a signature victory on the road. Junior setter Della Trimble (Saratoga, Calif. / West Valley College) contributed heavily to this with a season-high 46 assists and 16 digs, while senior specialists Julia Trujillo (Chino, Calif. / Univ. of La Verne) and Madisen Diaz (Hacienda Heights, Calif. / Bishop Amat) had 16 and 13 digs apiece. 

Duarte-McDermott and the Poets will look to continue their march toward the postseason tournament when they host Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (10-8, 6-2 SCIAC) on Friday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m.

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