CLAREMONT, Calif. (Sept. 21, 2021) – Senior outside hitter Katelyn Popoff (Hacienda Heights, Calif. / Sonora) had another strong night for the Whittier College volleyball team against nationally-ranked No. 2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Wednesday evening.

The former second-team All-SCIAC player succeeded in numerous areas, giving the Athenas fits throughout the three-set match. She chipped in both offensively and defensively with a nine kill, six dig night while also showing how dominant her serve can be with five aces. The senior now has 10 aces in her last nine sets while also finishing the night with two of the Poets' six assisted blocks. Additionally, Popoff currently stands as the SCIAC kills leader with 124 through the season's first 11 games. Freshman setter Morgan Lin (Glendora, Calif. / Glendora) set Popoff and her teammates nicely with 11 assists to go with seven digs, which tied for the team lead along with sophomore Tori Mejia (Riverside, Calif. / Mater Dei).

The Poets put forth competitive first and third sets with Division III's second-ranked team, but the Athenas showed just how fundamentally sound they can be, putting forth 15 kills in every set with the second set featuring nary a single attacking error. The Purple & Gold responded well to the home team's flawless second set, however, ripping off a six-point run at 15-4 to trigger a timeout from the Athenas. Whittier likewise had a similar stretch in the third set when they went on a 6-2 run midway through that was capped off by a Popoff kill from senior libero Madisen Diaz (Hacienda Heights, Calif. / Bishop Amat).

Head Coach Chris Duarte-McDermott and the Poets will be back at home on Friday, Sept. 24 when they host Chapman University (3-6, 1-0 SCIAC) at 7 p.m.

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