On Friday, the Sagehens were eliminated from SCIAC contention with a straight sets loss to La Verne. Ellen Yamasaki PZ ’15 led the Sagehens with ten kills but La Verne’s strong attack proved to be too much to overcome.
The Sagehens started strong, taking a 14-9 lead behind four kills from Yamasaki. Unfortunately, they were unable to hold off a La Verne surge, losing 22-25. The second set was even before the Leopards ran off a 6-0 run to take control midway through the set en route to a final score of 25-15. La Verne’s attack had its finest performance of the night in the third and final set, as the Leopards had 15 kills and only two errors in 30 total attacks, winning 25-15.
Setter Dani Kritter PO ’15 led the Sagehens with 14 assists, and libero Heidi Leonard PO ’12 added 17 digs. Outside hitter Rachel Bollens PO ’14 contributed eight kills and led all players with three block assists.
The loss dropped this Sagehens to 7-18, 5-8 in the SCIAC, ensuring that they will finish no higher than fifth in the conference. They will try to end the season strongly with a match against conference leader Cal Lutheran Tuesday evening at home.