Orange, Calif. (Sept. 23, 2022)- Poets Volleyball traveled to Chapman in their second conference game, handling the Panthers in a dominant three sets.

In the first set, the Poets opened slowly and found themselves trailing 9-4 before a quick timeout got them back on track. They were able to fight back and forth with the Panthers for the next few points before freshman Sofia Zazueta got four straight kills to put the Poets up 14-12. The lead then shifted between the teams until Chapman took a 23-21 lead. The Whittier women would not allow them to steal the game, rattling off four straight points to take the set 25-23. 

Whittier took a commanding lead early in the second set, taking it 25-14. 

The third and final set of the match began with Chapman jumping out to a 4-0 lead. Then a fierce six-point run from the Poets gave them a 6-4 lead. The teams alternated the lead in the third before Whittier was able to slam the door on Chapman and win the set 25-23. 

With the sweep, the Poets improved their record to 1-1 in conference play.

The Poets were led by an outstanding performance by Xenia Villagomez. The junior provided 12 kills for the Poets with a .556 kill percentage and 14.5 points. Another great showing on both sides of the court came from Zazueta who tallied seven kills and 13 digs for Whittier. 

Whittier will look to continue its winning play against Cal Tech Saturday, September 24, 2022, at 6 p.m. in the Graham Athletics Center.

Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com