Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. (Oct. 26, 2021) – Fueled by a 15-kill outing from junior Kaitlin Bullock (Rocklin, Calif. / Humboldt State), the Whittier College volleyball team bounced back in a big way on Tuesday night when they took down the University of Redlands, 3-1, completing the season sweep of the Bulldogs.

The entire Whittier offense took a big step forward against Redlands, but Bullock particularly benefited with a season-high kill total and season-high percentage of .341. She also posted a sterling 15:1 kills-to-errors ratio and had a hand in six of her side's 10 total blocks, giving her one of the top single-game performances from any Poet this year. Senior Katelyn Popoff (Hacienda Heights, Calif. / Sonora), who can lay claim to some of the year's most memorable performances, double-doubled with 10 kills to go with a team-high 21 digs. Classmate Franki Piloto (Ontario, Calif. / Pomona Catholic) and sophomore Xenia Villagomez (Corona, Calif. / Santiago) joined their teammates in double-digit kills for the night.

The first two sets closely mirrored one another, with the Poets and Bulldogs coming to a head at 8-8 before the momentum began to shift to Whittier's favor. In the first set, the Poets won four straight points on the serve of senior libero Julia Trujillo (Chino, Calif. / Univ. of La Verne), then had an identical run at a near-identical point in the match on junior Della Trimble (Saratoga, Calif. / West Valley College)'s serve. The first set came to an end on one of two set-clinching kills from Bullock, while the second involved the Poets outlasting the visitors on consecutive points, staking them to an imposing two-set lead.

The Bulldogs, however, began to play like a team with little to lose, putting pressure on the Poets to come up with an answer in the fourth set. Whittier responded with another massive run at around the 15-point mark, this time on the serve of sophomore setter Jordan Duyan-Heard (San Dimas, Calif. / San Dimas). The sophomore picked up two service aces during this stretch, putting the Bulldogs at a decided disadvantage down the stretch. The Poets would go on to win seven of the final nine points to put Redlands away for good and secure the season sweep. Bullock would deliver the final blow on a clean-looking set from Trimble, for her 41st assist of the match.

Head Coach Chris Duarte-McDermott and the Poets will head to Occidental College for their next game on Friday, Oct. 29. They will close out the 2021 regular season on Saturday, Oct. 30 when they host nationally-ranked No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (14-0 SCIAC) at 7 p.m. for Senior Night. The Poets will need to do what no SCIAC team has been able to do this season in order tohave a chance at keeping their SCIAC postseason tournament hopes alive.

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