WHITTIER, Calif. (Sept. 23, 2023) -- Led by key contributions from senior
Xenia Villagomez (Corona, Calif. Santiago) and junior
Riley DeGroot (Ontario, Calif. Mt. San Antonio College), the Whittier College women's volleyball team put on a show for the fans in the Graham Athletic Center on Saturday night, pushing unbeaten nationally ranked No. 23 SCIAC foe University of La Verne to five sets.
Head Coach
Chris Duarte-McDermott's Poets have traditionally played well in front of their home fans, and Saturday's contest was no exception, with more than 45 points having been played over the first four sets of the match. The Poets threatened the Leopards early, at one point leading 22-20 late in the frame off an emphatic kill from freshman opposite
Mia D'Amato (Corona, Calif. Santiago). However, the experienced and talented opponents managed to dig deep and turn the tables to take the first set, 25-23 in spite of a combined seven kills between Villagomez and D'Amato.
Things turned in a big way for Whittier in the second set, this time keeping La Verne at a distance for the set's entirety en route to a 25-21 win to knot things at one set apiece. DeGroot had six skills during this set, including one final offensive surge on set point, but her defensive aptitude really helped carry the Poets throughout the match and helped the Purple & Gold keep things close with the Leopards at all points. The junior had a season-high 24 digs, and stood out as one of two Poets to have at least 20 on the match. The other was junior libero
Nadine Oronoz (Whittier, Calif. Rio Hondo College), who finished with 20 over the five-set match.
The Poets and Leopards split the third and fourth sets off the back of some stellar back-and-forth rallies that went in the direction of both teams. One such point saw the Poets defy the odds on what appeared to be a sure-fire kill for the Leopards' top outside hitter, only to turn things around and result in a kill for the Poets on the ensuing possession. The Poets also succeeded in befuddling the Leopards' top weapons at the net, with Villagomez leading all Poets with one solo block and four assisted blocks. Freshman
Brenna Kusleika (Upland, Calif. Claremont) chipped in with three assisted blocks, while Villagomez helped the Poets cause on the offensive end with 14 kills to just three errors (.379 hitting percentage). Meanwhile, setting tandem
Morgan Lin (Corona, Calif. / Santiago) and
Jordan Heard (San Dimas, Calif. / San Dimas) combined to assist on 44 Whittier kills in a stellar offensive performance for the Poets.
Unfortunately for the Purple & Gold, the team looked to have run out of gas in the fifth set, with emotions running high after having just forced the deciding set. To their credit, the Leopards came ready to play despite being pushed to a fifth set for just the second time this year. The first time came against Whitworth University,
a team the Poets beat at home earlier this season. Nevertheless, Whittier showed it can hold its own with one of the SCIAC's elite programs, and will regardless be a tough out for any team the rest of the way while pushing for a spot in the conference's postseason tournament.
Duarte-McDermott and the Poets will return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 26 when they travel to California Lutheran University of a 7 p.m. game. The Poets are still in search of their first SCIAC victory of the 2023 campaign.
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