ORANGE, Calif. – Whittier picked up its fifth SCIAC win and fourth conference sweep on Thursday night against the Chapman Panthers. The 3-0 victory marked the second time the Poets had swept Chapman this season.
Whittier started quickly, taking a 3-0 lead behind kills from Madison McPherson and Mia D'Amato. The Poets kept the pressure on, building a 7-2 advantage with contributions from Malena Thé.
Lola Padilla, Morgan Kinser and McPherson followed with three consecutive kills to put Whittier ahead 12-4.
After Chapman trimmed the deficit to 13-7, the Poets answered with three unanswered points. A service ace from Hailey Church and a kill from Thé highlighted the stretch, creating a 16-7 cushion.
With Whittier ahead 21-12, the Panthers rallied for six straight points to narrow the gap to 21-18. The Poets halted the comeback with a 3-0 run, including a kill from Jeslyn Crockett, to reach set point at 24-18. Chapman saved one set point, but Crockett finished the frame with a kill off an assist from D'Amato, securing the 25-19 win.
The Poets carried that energy into the second set, grabbing an early 4-2 advantage behind two kills from McPherson. Both sides exchanged points before a Church service ace and another McPherson kill put Whittier in front, 9-5.
Chapman cut the margin to 9-8, but back-to-back kills from Thé sparked a four-point surge. Crockett added an ace, and D'Amato capped off the run with a kill to make it 13-8.
Kinser, Crockett and Thé found success offensively midway through the set, while Alyssa Gonzalez recorded a service ace to stretch the score to 19-14. The Panthers countered with six consecutive points to take their first lead at 20-19, but a block from Padilla and D'Amato evened the contest at 20-20.
D'Amato took over with three straight kills, restoring Whittier's advantage at 23-21. Chapman fought back to tie the score at 23 apiece, but Thé delivered a kill before teaming up with McPherson and Kinser for a set-clinching block. The 25-23 victory gave the Poets a 2-0 match lead.
Two Chapman errors and a D'Amato kill helped Whittier open the third set with a 3-0 run. McPherson chipped in two kills, while Kinser and Mia Rogers joined the attack to push the score to 10-3.
Kinser remained a force at the net, recording two more kills as the Poets built a 13-5 cushion. D'Amato and Crockett fueled a six-point run, highlighted by a Gonzalez ace, to create a commanding 19-5 margin.
The Panthers struggled to find an answer as Whittier stayed in control during the closing stretch. Kinser notched her fifth kill of the set to reach match point at 24-11 before combining with Crockett for a block that sealed the 25-11 victory and completed the sweep.
McPherson recorded a double-double with 14 assists and 10 kills, while four other Poets finished with eight kills apiece. Thé and Gonzalez also collected 13 digs each.
Whittier will host the Occidental Tigers on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 4 p.m.
