WHITTIER, Calif. (Nov. 4, 2025) – The Whittier College women's volleyball team delivered its best performance of the season on Tuesday night, sweeping No. 19 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 3-0, inside the Graham Athletic Center. The win marked Whittier's second victory over a ranked opponent this season and just the second in program history against CMS.

The Poets opened with a thrilling 33-31 set-one battle before taking control in the final two frames, 25-20 and 25-16. As a team, Whittier was electric on the attack, hitting .314, its best mark of the season in conference play, against one of the nation's top defenses.

Sophomore outside hitter Malena The (Chino Hills, Calif. / Chino Hills / Westmont College) set the tone early with eight kills in the opening set and finished with a match-high 14 kills while hitting .433. Freshman standouts Morgan Kinser (Beaumont, Calif. / Beaumont) and Lola Padilla (Fontana, Calif. / St. Lucy's) were equally impressive, combining for 19 kills and hitting a combined .500 on the night. Padilla reached double-digit kills for the eighth time this season, while Kinser's .571 hitting percentage was the best of her young career.

Defensively, Jessica Ferreira (Whittier, Calif. / La Serna / Cypress College) anchored the back row with 21 digs, her fourth career match with 20-plus, and senior setter Sophia Padilla (Fontana, Calif. / St. Lucy's) led the offense with 23 assists.

Head Coach Chris Duarte-McDermott and the Poets are now 17-9 overall and 9-5 in SCIAC play. Whittier has already clinched a spot in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament but could still climb the standings with one match remaining. The Poets will travel to Thousand Oaks, Calif., to face Cal Lutheran, currently the No. 3 seed, on Friday, November 7, at 7 p.m., in a match that will likely determine seeding for next week's tournament.

Follow and show support for your Whittier Poets on Twitter (@WCPoets), YouTube and Instagram (@PoetAthletics)!