Redlands, Calif. – Freshman Ellen Yamasaki (Salinas, Calif. - pictured) had 17 kills, including pivotal kills late in the second, third and fourth sets, to lead the Pomona-Pitzer Volleyball team to a 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-17) road win over Redlands in a SCIAC match on Tuesday evening.

With the win, the Sagehens improve to 4-9 on the season, including 2-2 in the SCIAC, while Redlands slips to 1-10 overall and 1-3 in league play. Yamasaki also added a team-high 18 digs to the team's defensive efforts.

After taking the first set 25-20, Redlands snuck out to a 6-3 lead in the second set, but the Sagehens responded by earning six of the next seven points to pull in front 9-7, with Kirea Mazzolini (Phoenix, Ariz.) earning a service ace and freshman setter Dani Kritter (Culpepper, Va.) picking up three points on her serve during the stretch. Yamasaki then caught fire, accounting for four straight Sagehen points in the middle of the set, all on kills from senior setter Kenzie Aries (Escondido, Calif.).

Kritter earned four more points on her serve, including an ace, in a 5-0 run that turned a 16-15 lead into a 21-15 advantage as the Sagehens took control. Redlands went on a 3-0 run to use every bit of the cushion Pomona-Pitzer built and close to 24-23, but Yamasaki was able to finish off the set with a clean kill. 

In the third set, junior Erin Toothaker (Portland, Ore.) keyed an early 6-0 run with a kill and a block, and sophomore Sophie Tweed-Simmons (Beverly Hills, Calif.) added two kills to put the Sagehens in front 11-7.  Redlands, though, used a 6-0 run of its own to take a 21-20 lead late, before Aries set up a Yamasaki kill to make it 24-23 and then earned a service ace for the set-winning point.

The fourth set again saw the pivotal run go Pomona-Pitzer's way. After Redlands took a 12-10 lead, the Sagehens went on a 9-1 run, with Aries picking up five points on her serve (including one ace) during the run. After Redlands rattled off four straight points to pull within 19-17, though, Yamasaki's clean kill stopped the run and began a 6-0 run for Pomona-Pitzer, as junior middle hitter Rachel Bollens (Seattle, Wash.) finished off the match with a kill.

The first set saw the Sagehens get off a sluggish start, as it fell behind 4-1, and then after pulling back even at 4-4, surrendered six straight points to fall behind 10-4. Back to back kills by Bollens and a service ace from senior libero Heidi Leonard (Del Mar, Calif.) got Pomona-Pitzer back in the set at 13-8, and a service ace from Tweed-Simmons helped the Sagehens get back within 18-15, but Redlands was able to hold on for the 25-20 win.

Bollens had a strong evening with 10 kills in 23 attempts, while Aries had 40 assists and added six kills of her own.

Pomona-Pitzer will be back in action on Friday, when it hosts Caltech in another SCIAC match at 7:30 p.m.