REDLANDS, Calif. – On Tuesday night, Whittier took care of the Redlands Bulldogs, 3-1, behind a triple-double from Madison McPherson. The Poets' do-it-all sophomore totaled 14 kills, 20 assists and 18 digs. After three tightly contested sets, Whittier took two of them before finishing off the match in the fourth. The set scores were 25-23, 23-25, 25-22 and 25-14.
Redlands jumped ahead early, scoring the first two points before the teams traded points throughout the opening portion of the set. A kill from Lola Padilla pulled Whittier even at 4-4, and Mia Rogers gave the Poets their first advantage at 6-5.
With the score tied at 10 apiece, Whittier started to create some separation. An error from the Bulldogs and a kill from Malena Thé helped the Poets move in front, 13-10.
After Redlands briefly reclaimed the advantage, Whittier answered with a key stretch. McPherson recorded a kill, and two more errors from the Bulldogs put the Poets on top, 18-15.
Hailey Church provided a spark from the service line, delivering an ace before McPherson recorded a solo block to extend Whittier's cushion to 21-17.
A late push from Redlands helped the Bulldogs rally in front, 23-22. Thé tied the set at 23 before Mia D'Amato served an ace to bring up set point. McPherson finished the frame with a kill, giving the Poets a 25-23 set-one victory.
Whittier started fast in the second set, using another Church ace to take an early 2-0 advantage. D'Amato added a kill and an ace to help stretch the margin to 7-4.
Redlands erased the deficit and tied the score at 7-7, but Thé and McPherson helped Whittier answer. McPherson served up an ace during a stretch that put the Poets back in front, 10-7.
The teams went back and forth through the middle of the frame. Whittier held a 14-12 edge, but Redlands responded and eventually took a 17-15 advantage.
Down 19-17, Whittier rallied with three straight points, capped by a McPherson kill, to regain the edge at 20-19. Morgan Kinser later tied the set at 22-22, and the Poets moved back in front, 23-22, on a Redlands attack error.
The Bulldogs controlled the final three points, taking the set 25-23 and evening the match at 1-1.
McPherson, Padilla and Jeslyn Crockett helped Whittier grab a 10-6 advantage in the third set. Redlands worked its way back into the frame, knotting the score at 11-11. The two sides exchanged points before a Charlotte McCully kill put Whittier on top, 15-14.
An Alyssa Gonzalez ace helped the Poets create some breathing room at 18-15, but the Bulldogs responded and evened the score at 19-19.
With the frame tied at 20-20, McPherson and Padilla delivered back-to-back kills to push Whittier in front, 22-20. Redlands answered once again, leveling the score at 22.
The Poets closed the third strong, scoring the final three points behind a McPherson kill, another Redlands error and a Kinser kill to take the set, 25-22, and move ahead 2-1 in the match.
The Bulldogs opened the fourth with a 2-0 advantage and later used a four-point run to build an 8-4 cushion.
Crockett quickly swung the momentum back in Whittier's favor, recording three kills during a stretch of seven consecutive points for the Poets. D'Amato and McPherson also chipped in offensively as Whittier turned an 11-7 deficit into a 14-11 advantage.
Whittier continued to pull away behind Crockett, McPherson and D'Amato, extending the margin to 17-12. Crockett was at the center of the offensive surge, contributing five kills during the sequence.
Four points later, the Poets held a 19-14 advantage and slammed the door with six unanswered points. McPherson delivered an ace down the stretch, helping seal a dominant 25-14 fourth-set victory and Whittier's 3-1 win over Redlands.
Along with McPherson's triple-double, she posted a .387 hitting percentage, four service aces and two blocks. Crockett also hit .300 with 10 kills, while Gonzalez anchored the defense with 22 digs and Kinser added two block assists.
The Poets extended their winning streak to three matches and improved to 13-4 overall and 4-0 in SCIAC play.
Whittier's next match will take place in Orange against the Chapman Panthers on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. This will be the teams' second meeting in two weeks, with the Poets sweeping their previous matchup. Catch all the action on FloCollege.
Follow and show support for your Whittier Poets on Twitter (@WCPoets), YouTube and Instagram (@PoetAthletics).
