The Whittier College women's volleyball team shined on the first day of the annual Whittier College Volleyball Invitational, picking up consecutive wins in front of more than 200 people in the Graham Athletic Center on Friday afternoon and evening. The Poets first took out Whitworth University in four tightly-contested sets, then beat Pacific Lutheran University in the nightcap. The Poets overcame dropping the third set in both matches to win in four.

"We always love when we get support," Head Coach Chris Duarte-McDermott said after the Pacific Lutheran game. "I think the game day atmosphere can continue to play a big part in our success."

Game 1: Whittier 3, Whitworth 1 (25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 25-23)

The Poets got off on the right foot with a win against the Pirates in which they showed they could win close sets with consistency. Junior transfer Riley DeGroot (Ontario, Calif. / Mt. San Antonio College) once again shined for the Poets, showing she can be a relied-upon option in offensive situations. The junior racked up 16 kills to the tune of a .270 attacking percentage, and found herself adequately supported by setting tandem Morgan Lin (Glendora, Calif. / Glendora) and Jordan Heard (San Dimas, Calif. / San Dimas). Lin led with 29 assists, while Heard chipped in with 13 of her own.

The difference in Friday's opening match ultimately came down to the Poets being a stronger cohesive unit in the match's biggest moments. The first set was closely contested up until the final points with Whittier simply trading with Whitworth while clinging to a point-point advantage over the set's final moments. The second set took on a similar tone with the Poets winning it on a pretty-looking kill from DeGroot off a feed from Lin, but Whitworth regained some of its momentum by winning the final three points in the third set. Though Whittier seemed primed to sweep its rivals from up north, the Poets regrouped in the third set and pulled out the win with an extremely impressive late run to take any ideas the Pirates had about a deciding fifth set off the table.

With the Poets trailing the Pirates 22-18, freshman Megan Hester (La Verne, Calif. / Bonita) entered the game to serve. Hester placed the ball with precision and power, with five of the first six points ending with offensive moments from DeGroot. Hester picked up an ace along the way, but fueled by her impressive run of form, the Poets went on to win eight of the final nine points to steal the fourth set away from the visitors, and notch a victory in the home opener. Sofia Zazueta (La Mirada, Calif. / Orange Lutheran) also came through with 12 kills of her own, while junior libero Nadine Oronoz (Whittier, Calif. / Rio Hondo College) led all players with 15 digs

Game 2: Whittier 3, Pacific Lutheran 1 (25-11, 25-22, 19-25, 25-17)

The Poets' momentum carried into the Pacific Lutheran matchup, a team that like Whitworth, was coming off a victory over Chapman University immediately prior to taking on the host team. DeGroot turned in another dominant effort with nine kills to just two attacking errors, though Zazueta took the spotlight in Game 2 with 14 kills to just two attacking errors. Brenna Kusleika (Upland, Calif. / Claremont) and Xenia Villagomez (Corona, Calif. / Santiago) each picked up nine kills of their own, helping the Poets to a game-high 51 total kills.

Hester once again had some big moments on her serve, entering the game in the second set to lead the Poets to the decisive two points they needed to take a 2-0 lead. The set-winning point came on a service ace from the freshman. Whittier also showed an ability to overcome third-set adversity once again, and pulled away by winning 10 of the final 13 points. Big runs proved to be the Poets' calling card, with Heard's serve alone accounting for multiple runs of five points or more, including a first-set run of six-straight points to finish the Lutes with a dominant 25-11 frame.

"There were some great runs of points in both games," Duarte-McDermott said. "We have been talking a lot about putting constant pressure on teams, and I think we did just that tonight. I am very proud of these athletes and how competitive they are."

Three different Poets had at least 10 digs: Oronoz, Zazueta, and Heard. Whittier also found a way to best its opponents at the net, with 10 total blocks to Pacific Lutheran's six. Both Villagomez, along with freshman Mia D'Amato (Bakersfield, Calif. / Garces), had one solo block to go with three assisted blocks.

Duarte-McDermott and the Poets will be back again on Saturday for the final day of the Whittier College Invitational. They will take on the University of California, Santa Cruz at 6 p.m. after the nationally-ranked Banana Slugs battle Chapman University at 3 p.m.


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