Claremont, Calif. - The Pomona-Pitzer Volleyball team fought off a 2-0 deficit, a match point in the fourth game, and an 11-8 deficit in the fifth to capture a thrilling 3-2 win over Redlands on Friday evening at Voelkel Gymnasium.

Freshman Michelle Schultz (Chicago, Ill. - pictured) led the way with 21 kills and 18 digs for the Sagehens, who improve to 8-7 overall and 3-4 in the SCIAC with the win. Redlands falls to 5-7 overall and 1-5 in the SCIAC with the loss, as game scores were 11-25, 15-25, 25-20, 26-24, 17-15.

Sophomore middle hitter Samantha Cahill (Vancouver, Wash.) was pivotal in turning the fifth game around as she combined on consecutive blocks (the first with Schultz) to tie the score 11-11, and then capped off a 5-0 run with back-to-back kills to make the score 13-11 for the Sagehens. A Schultz kill made the score 14-12, but the Bulldogs were able to come back and tie the score 14-14 on a kill from Sam Dodson.

Schultz again ripped a kill to make the score 15-14, but Ashton Martin answered back for Redlands to tie it up. However, a Martin error (only her third of the match with 16 kills) gave Pomona-Pitzer the 16-15 lead, and sophomore Hannah Wayment-Steele (Flagstaff, Ariz.) and freshman Emma Burdekin (Claremont, Calif.) combined on the winning block as they stopped an attack from Redlands' Morgan Buckner (20 kills).

Pomona-Pitzer faced a match point in the fourth set as a 3-0 Redlands run made the score 24-23 on a Jackie Starks kill. However, Burdekin fought off that match point with a kill, and Schultz finished off the game with back-to-back kills to give the Sagehens a 26-24 win and force the game into the fifth set.

Pomona-Pitzer also used a big run in the third game, as it won the final six points in a row to turn a 20-19 deficit into a 25-20 victory. Sophomore outside hitter Ellen Yamasaki (Salinas, Calif.) had three of the kills during that run, while Wayment-Steele finished it off with a kill on game point.

The comeback came after a very slow start for the Sagehens, who dropped the first set 25-11 after recording only five kills in 36 attempts, and then fell 25-15 in the second. However, Schultz started to catch fire on offense to finish with a match-high 21 kills, and Pomona-Pitzer was able to seize the momentum and come away with the narrowest of victories.

Sophomore setter Dani Kritter (Culpepper, Va.) had 41 assists and 19 digs on the day, while Yamasaki had 10 kills and 16 digs for a double-double. Buckner's 20 kills led the Bulldogs, while Martin hit a match-high .419 (16 kills, three errors in 31 attempts) and setter Alisha Cornick had 57 assists.

Pomona-Pitzer will be back in action on Tuesday when it takes on neighborhood rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps for a 7:30 p.m. contest.