Whittier had revenge in mind for its first match of the day at the Cal Lu Fornia Invite Tournament Saturday, a noon showdown against a UC Santa Cruz team that entered the day 9-3. The Banana Slugs had defeated the Poets in four sets less than a week earlier.

After dropping a back-and-forth first set 25-19 Saturday, the Poets found their groove in the second set. Whittier embarked on an 8-0 run, which included four aces, to take a 13-8 lead and ultimately won the set 25-19.

In the ensuing set, Whittier emerged victorious, 25-21. The fourth set, however, witnessed Whittier looking up at a 9-0 deficit. The Poets rallied back with an impressive 16-5 run to take a 16-14 lead over the Banana Slugs. The game continued to be competitive until freshman Cheyanne Ybañez slammed the door on UC Santa Cruz with a ferocious kill, producing a 25-23 3-1 Whittier victory. The 5-9 Rancho Cucamonga native had a game-high 14 kills, and tied teammate Maia Cicero for most in the game with five block assists. Cicero, a fellow freshman, also contributed two solo assists.

"It felt good to come back and beat them," sophomore Analise Kusleika said of the revenge she and her fellow Poets exacted on the Banana Slugs. "We started the day off with positive energy and it carried us through."