Photo: Tony Leon/D3WestPhotography

CLAREMONT, Calif. (Apr. 24, 2022) – The Whittier College women's water polo team turned in an incredible team effort, but ultimately came up short of achieving the SCIAC Postseason Tournament Championship this season, falling to top-seeded Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, 16-12, in Sunday's final.

The Poets gave Pomona-Pitzer all they could handle, putting more goals on the Sagehens (12) than any Division III opponent has been able to all season. Sunday's game also marked just the second time a SCIAC foe had been able to score 10 on the Sagehens during their undefeated 2022 campaign. However, unlike the two teams' previous meeting at the Slade Aquatics Center earlier this month, the Sagehens were able to gain the first upper hand in Sunday's game, forcing the Poets to play from behind against arguably the most lethal team in Division III. As sharp as the Sagehens' shooters were though, Whittier hung in the game until the final minutes with Pomona-Pitzer scoring three goals in garbage time to account for the four-goal deficit. The home team opened the third quarter with a four-goal lead, but two quick goals from senior Karissa Qualley (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. / Long Beach City College) and junior Ally Burke (Las Vegas, Nev. / Bishop Gorman) helped cut the Sagehens' lead in half.

Three minutes later, the Poets successfully shook off an exclusion, bringing all the momentum back to the other side of the pool where senior Bryanna Santis (Commerce, Calif. / Fullerton College) connected with classmate Alex Lopez (Boyle Heights, Calif. / Fullerton College) on an advantage of their own to whittle Pomona-Pitzer's lead down to just one goal. Lopez led the Poets with four goals, as Whittier did what they had to do on the powerplay by going a collective 5-for-8 on the advantage. Pomona-Pitzer, however, was near perfect on its own powerplay, making things tough on the Poets throughout the game's 32-minute duration. However, the Poets showed they could be competitive with the Sagehens for the second time this season, and for a second-consecutive game exhibited excellent ball movement that allowed the offense to open up and give the home team fits. Santis tied for the team lead in points with two goals and three assists, while Burke scored three times herself. Other notable scorers for the Purple & Gold included seniors Natasha Velez (La Habra, Calif. / Cypress College) and Amelia Bennett (Calgary, Alberta, Canada / Riverside City College).

Head Coach David Kasa and the Poets will now turn their attention towards the inaugural Division III National Championship Tournament, which will be held at Haldeman Pool between May 8 and 9. The Poets and SCIAC champion Sagehens will be joined by Augustana College and Austin College, the top two teams of the CWPA Tournament in Grove City, Pa. with the Poets likely to play the Kangaroos, the CWPA Tournament champions, in the opening round.

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