The Pomona-Pitzer volleyball team swept Caltech in straight sets on Friday, but suffered a setback against conference-leading Cal Lutheran Saturday afternoon.
The Sagehens jumped out to an early lead in the first set. They did not commit a single error and won handily 25-5. The second set was more of the same, with the Sagehens using an efficient attack and good defense to win 25-8. In the third set, Caltech took an early 1-0 lead, but the Sagehens soon took control and won 25-13.
The Sagehens’ depth was on full display, as five players had more than five kills. Ellen Yamasaki PZ’15 led the Sagehens with 11 assists, and Heidi Leonard PO’12 led a strong defensive effort with 14 digs.
The Sagehens knew going in to their game against Cal Lutheran that they were in for a challenge. Cal Lu entered the match ranked 15th in the nation without a SCIAC loss since 2009. Coach Valerie Cowan said, “We’ve got to control our side of the court. They’re a good team, so we’ve got to play like we did against Redlands.” The Sagehens were up for the challenge in the first set, but Cal Lutheran was on top of their game and narrowly prevailed 25-22, then took the next two sets 25-20 and 20-16.
Jordan Hammond PO’12 had a strong day attacking with 12 kills and setter Kenzie Aries PZ’12 had 28 assists, but the Sagehens were unable to overcome Cal Lutheran’s depth and talent. With the loss, they dropped to 5-10 on the season and 3-3 in conference.
The volleyball team will continue play on Tuesday night, when they host conference foe La Verne.