REDLANDS, Calif. (Oct. 22, 2022)- Whittier took a trip to Redlands to take on the Bulldogs in their next SCIAC match. Coming off some tough defeats the women were looking to capture a victory. 

The Bulldogs came out ready to fight for this match and got off to an early 9-4 lead. The Poets would fight back and make the score an 8-10 Redlands lead. Redlands was not giving this game up though and would close the door on the Whittier with a 25-20 first-set victory. 

The second would be a much better set for the Poets. They were able to secure an early 11-6 lead and never looked back from there. Whittier would carry ferocious kills, great communication, and phenomenal digs to a dominating 25-11 win in this set. 

With the match tied at 1 set apiece, Whittier wanted to take this crucial third game. The women went on a quick run to take a 9-3 lead over the Bulldogs, but this big lead would not last. Redlands was able to close the gap to make the lead 11-8 Whittier. The women's energy then busted through as they were able to dominate the rest of the set. They would eventually take this game 25-15.

The fourth would open up in Redland's favor as they were able to capture an 8-5  lead over the Poets. Whittier would then show their heart and fight back to retake the lead, 9-8 and then they never looked back. They took the fourth set 25-16 and won the match 3-1. 

The Poets improved to 5-7 in conference now and are still looking to go on a run to end the season. The women were led by freshman Cheyanne Ybanez who would walk away with 11 kills. They saw an excellent game from Xenia Villagomez who had 9 kills and a .529 kill percentage. Brooke Sasaki would tally 18 total digs for the Poets as their libero.  

Whittier will return home for a match tomorrow against Cal Lutheran at 4:00. This is their Pink out game in support of Breast Cancer Awareness, so show support and rock some pink!

Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

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