WHITTIER, Calif. (Oct. 28, 2023) – Behind a host of impeccable performances, the Whittier College volleyball team clinched a top-four spot in the SCIAC regular season standings with a 3-0 win at the University of Redlands on Tuesday night. This means the Poets will compete in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament for the first time since 2015, and for just the second time under Head Coach
Chris Duarte-McDermott.
Whittier showed it could continue its impressive run of form on the volleyball court by holding Redlands to no more than 16 points in any single set on the road. Whittier's second set proved to be particularly dominant, with the Poets committing nary an error, while achieving kills on 15 out of 25 possible points. The visitors did well to set an early tone, jumping out to an 8-3 lead behind a trio of kills from junior
Riley DeGroot (Ontario, Calif. / Mt. San Antonio College). The outside hitter shined on Tuesday night, achieving 10 kills to just one error for a hitting percentage of .333. DeGroot, however, would be matched by another incredible showing from freshman middle blocker
Mia D'Amato, who put up an identical line on 10 fewer attempts for a .529 hitting percentage.
As good as the Poets looked early, they turned up the heat in the aforementioned second set. The Purple & Gold hit a collective .455 over this stretch. Five different players picked up kills in the second set, including senior
Xenia Villagomez (Corona, Calif. / Santiago), junior
Analise Kusleika (Upland, Calif. / Claremont), and sophomore
Sofia Zazueta (La Mirada, Calif. / Orange Lutheran). All three contributed to the Poets' most efficient collective offensive showing of the year, topping even last weekend's match at Occidental College where Whittier hit a collective .289%. This time, the Poets raised the bar to a sterling .337%, committing just six errors against an impressive 38 kills in just three sets of action.
The Poets closed the show with a big third set where they had overcome a more competitive opening from the host Bulldogs. Though the Poets at one point led 8-7, a four-point run on the serve of junior libero
Nadine Oronoz (Whittier, Calif. / Rio Hondo College) helped distance themselves from their opponents. Oronoz, who the SCIAC's leading server deep into the 2023 regular season, padded her conference-leading total with three service aces, while senior setter
Jordan Heard (San Dimas, Calif. / San Dimas) picked up another good run late in the set where she earned two of her four service aces on the match. Heard, along with junior setting partner
Morgan Lin (Glendora, Calif. / Glendora), combined for 28 assists.
Zazueta, meanwhile, benefited from a handful of those assists, posting eight kills to just one error, and she also led the Poets' defense with 13 digs playing in the back row. It is also worth noting that as good as the Poets looked on Tuesday night, they achieved the performance without reigning SCIAC Offensive Athlete of the Week
Brenna Kusleika (Upland, Calif. / Claremont) in the lineup.
Duarte-McDermott and the Poets will look to remain the SCIAC's hottest team when they look to upend Pomona-Pitzer Colleges at home on Friday night in the annual Senior Night game. The Sagehens are currently ranked third in the SCIAC standings, but are yet to clinch the third seed themselves, as the Poets still have a path to improve their standing ahead of the postseason tournament.
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