LA VERNE, Calif. (Aug. 30, 2024) – The Whittier College women's volleyball team made its 2024 debut on Friday afternoon at the University of La Verne-hosted Pacific Coast Classic. The Poets played two games on the day, splitting with out-of-state foes Centre College and University of Wisconsin River Falls.
Centre College 3, Whittier 2
Whittier jumped on Centre early following a first step in which the Poets' opponents were their own worst enemy. The Purple & Gold forced the Colonels into 11 unforced errors, though the Kentucky-based team would go on to clean things up down later streets. Both teams began to find their form in the second set, with the Poets particularly coming on, registering a match-high 12 kills. Senior captain
Analise Kusleika (Upland, Calif. / Claremont) had one of her best offensive performances in recent memory, and her three kills accounted for a quarter of the Poets' offensive output in the second frame. Meanwhile, fellow middle blockers
Xenia Villagomez (Corona, Calif. / Santiago) and 2023 SCIAC Newcomer of the Year
Mia D'Amato (Bakersfield, Calif. / Garces) each had a pair of kills to boost the Poets in the second frame. However, Centre staved off six Whittier set points to turn the tide.
After dropping the third frame, the Poets struck back with a well-played fourth stanza. Senior libero
Nadine Oronoz (Whittier, Calif. / Southland Christian / Rio Hondo College), who was the SCIAC's top server last year by a significant margin, showed she has plenty more to contribute in that department by opening the Poets' serve with a huge ace of her own to set the tone. Oronoz finished the match six aces in all, combining for 10 with junior outside hitter
Sofia Zazueta (La Mirada, Calif. / Orange Lutheran). Collectively, the Poets' proficiency at the net and at the baseline on serves buoyed them in a match where they looked to shake off the rust offensively. The Poets outblocked the Colonels 11-5, with Kusleika earning two solo blocks and four assisted.
In the end, the Colonels won a war of attrition to open the season, but in flashing its talent and size, the Poets showed they can win in unorthodox areas and be a tough out regardless of their hitting form.
Whittier 3, University of Wisconsin River Falls 1
Head Coach
Chris Duarte-McDermott shook up the lineup for the second game of the day as the Poets aim to find the right rotation of offensive players to lean on this season. Two freshmen would step up in a big way:
Malena The (Chino Hills, Calif. / Chino Hills / Westmont College) and
Kylie Ibbotson (Moorpark, Calif. / Ventura). The led with 11 kills and a .195 hitting percentage, while Ibbotson had a mistake free match while registering seven kills of her own. Zazueta, meanwhile, flashed the elite offensive form she showed during last season's SCIAC Postseason Tournament run, earning 10 kills of her own.
It took the Poets a full set to get their bearings with the new-look lineup, but once they got rolling, they proved difficult to stop for the remainder of the match. Whittier unleashed its best set of the day in the follow-up to the opener, taking it 25-13 on the back of 13 collective kills to just two errors. Setters
Morgan Lin (Glendora, Calif. / Glendora) and
Sophia Padilla (Fontana, Calif. / St. Lucy's) were huge in this match, with each player double-doubling on assists and digs (Lin - 16/17, Padilla - 18/10). However, they were also just two of four Whittier players to register double-digit digs for what was an excellent defensive match for the Poets. Oronoz played the entire match and tied Lin with 17 digs, while The also reached the 10-dig threshhold to earn her first career double-double.
Following the second set, the Poets showed some impressive early-season resiliency, needing the win by two in each of the final sets. However, the Poets were the last team standing at the end of both frames, which could have gone either way on the numbers. The resiliency particularly came into play at the end though, with the Poets revisiting their third set in the earlier match of the day with multiple set points in hand. While UW-River Falls attempted to claw back, a timely kill from Lin killed the magic. Meanwhile, the Poets rattled off three consecutive points to steal the fourth set and seal their first win of the season on the back of a kill by The and a service ace from Padilla, who finished with four for the match.
Duarte-McDermott and the Poets will be back in La Verne on Saturday to finish the tournament against Skidmore College.
Follow and show support for your Whittier Poets on Twitter (@WCPoets), YouTube and Instagram (@PoetAthletics)!
