LA VERNE, Calif. (Aug. 30, 2024) – The Whittier College women's volleyball team successfully continued its 2024 season at the University of La Verne, defeating Skidmore College in straight sets on Friday afternoon. The Poets fired on all cylinders, with multiple players contributing to a complete attack that secured the straight-sets victory.
Senior outsider hitter Riley DeGroot (Ontario, Calif. / Ontario Christian / Mt. San Antonio College) led the charge with a match-high 13 kills, hitting at a .417 clip on 24 attempts. Super senior Xenia Villagomez (Corona, Calif. / Santiago) added 5 kills with a .400 hitting percentage, and sophomore Mia D'Amato (Bakersfield, Calif. / Garces) contributed 8 kills, hitting .353 for the night. The Poets' attack was at its most efficient yet, with the team posting a .291 hitting percentage.
Setters Sophia Padilla (Fontana, Calif. / St. Lucy's) and Morgan Lin (Glendora, Calif. / Glendora) served anchors for Whittier, with the former dishing out a team-best 16 assists while adding a service ace and two digs to her stat line. Lin was no slouch herself with 14 assists, and as the Poets' most consistent player throughout the duration of the tournament thanks to her steadiness on serve, setting ability and defensive awareness, she found herself as the team's All-Tournament Team representative.
On the defensive end, Nadine Oronoz (Whittier, Calif. / Southland Christian / Rio Hondo College) stood out with a team-leading 17 digs, while Brenna Kusleika (Upland, Calif. / Claremont) and Villagomez each contributed key blocks to stifle Skidmore's offense. The Poets were also strong behind the service line, recording 6 aces, with Lin and Malena The (Chino Hills, Calif. / Chino Hills / Westmont College) each adding a trio of aces to the tally.
The victory is the Poets' most dominant of the young campaign, with the Purple & Gold finding themselves in little trouble throughout the duration of the match. They were even able to put an exclamation point on things in the third set, winning 25-10 off the back of a team hitting percentage north of .300 for the set.
Head Coach Chris Duarte McDermott and the Poets will return home next weekend to host the Whittier Invitational at the Graham Athletic Center, with games set to take place all day Friday and Saturday.
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