UNION, N.J. – Whittier traveled across the country to New Jersey for three matches over the weekend, opening the trip with a 3-0 sweep (25-21, 25-8, 25-16) of the Kean University Cougars.
Malena Thé led the Poets with 10 kills, followed by
Mia D'Amato and
Lola Padilla with seven apiece. Thé added 11 digs to record a double-double, while libero
Alyssa Gonzalez also finished with 11 digs.
Whittier took the opening set, 25-21. The Poets came out firing, jumping to an early 7-1 advantage, behind two kills from
Mia Rogers.
After Whittier's hot start, the two sides traded points until the Poets built a 16-8 advantage. Kean responded with a run of its own, cutting Whittier's lead to 16-14.
Multiple kills from D'Amato and Padilla helped the Poets regain control and extend their advantage to 23-15.
The Cougars did not go quietly, scoring six of the next seven points to pull within three at 24-21. However, setter
Hailey Church connected with D'Amato for the set-clinching kill, giving Whittier a 25-21 victory.
Following a competitive opening set, the Poets took control of the second, cruising to a 25-8 set win.
With Whittier leading 3-2, the Poets scored 22 of the final 28 points to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
Thé and Padilla combined for seven kills in the second set, recording four and three, respectively. D'Amato also provided a spark from the service line with two aces during a 6-0 Whittier run that stretched the lead to 10-2.
Whittier carried its momentum into the third set and completed the sweep with a 25-16 victory.
Thé added four more kills in the final set, while D'Amato tallied three and Padilla chipped in two. D'Amato also teamed up with Rogers for a block late in the set as the Poets put the finishing touches on the sweep.
D'Amato finished the match with seven kills and no attacking errors on 11 attempts for a .636 hitting percentage.
Morgan Kinser followed at .556 with five kills on nine attempts, while Rogers added five kills and hit .273. Church directed the offense with a 20 assists.
Whittier will wrap up its East Coast trip on Saturday, Sept. 19, with a pair of matches at Montclair State University. The Poets will face host Montclair State at 9 a.m. PT before taking on Franklin & Marshall College in a neutral-site matchup at 11 a.m. PT.
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