CLAREMONT, CA: Pomona-Pitzer made Valerie Townsend's 200^th win one to remember as the Sagehens knocked off #18 La Verne 3-0 to stay alive in the hunt for a SCIAC Tournament berth. 

Entering this week in 5^th place and facing the formidable path of #18 La Verne (T-1^st), Whittier (4^th), and #9 Cal Lutheran (T-1^st) to close out the season, the Sagehens (12-12, 7-7 SCIAC) responded in big fashion by taking the Leopards down in straight sets 26-24, 25-23, and 25-19 to keep pace in the hunt for a SCIAC Tournament berth. The first and second sets saw Pomona-Pitzer and La Verne (19-5, 13-3 SCIAC) trade leads the entire way through but it was the Sagehens who flipped the script from their Oct. 2 match by using late runs to take a 2-0 lead. Riding the wave of momentum, the Sagehens would jump to a 12-8 lead early and handle the Leopards with ease the rest of the way to win the deciding set 25-19 and pick up their first win over a ranked opponent this season.

Stephanie Sun had a stellar performance on the evening compiling a game-high 17 kills with a team-high 13 digs, her third match out of the last four with double-digit kills and digs. Emma Burdekin totaled nine kills for the Sagehens while Kate Porter and Julia Zwaal added six of their own to go with a combined 11 digs (6/5). Michelle Schultz and Sophie Janssen each played key defensive roles, tallying 11 digs a piece while Jessica Finn registered her fourth consecutive match with 30+ assists with 33 for the match.

Not only a crucial win for keeping playoff hopes alive, the Sagehens' upset of #18 La Verne was also Head Coach Valerie Townsend's 200^th career win in her 16^th year with the Pomona-Pitzer Volleyball Program. Under the helm of Townsend, the Sagehens have become a consistent winner, posting winning seasons in 10 of the past 12 seasons while reaching the SCIAC Postseason tournament four times since its inception in 2009. Townsend also led the Sagehens in 2013 to their first NCAA Tournament Appearance since 1987 while reaching the 20-win plateau for the first time.

"I couldn't have imagined a better way to get my 200^th win than this match" said head coach Valerie Townsend. "Our girls played the most complete match of the season and when you pass well, attack well, and maintain discipline on defense, good things are going to happen. It's an honor to reach this milestone but it would not have been possible without the players who have given so much to this program to make it what it is today. All in all, it was an amazing match tonight and I think we've found the spark to make the best push we can towards the playoffs in these last two matches."

Pomona-Pitzer will return to action on Friday night as they take on Whittier at Dave Jacobs Court at 7:30pm. The Sagehens will then close out the season at home against #9 Cal Lutheran at 4:00pm in Voelkel Gymnasium. With Whittier's 3-0 win over Redlands tonight, the Sagehens remain one game back of the Poets with two matches remaining and will have to win out in order to clinch the fourth and final spot in the SCIAC tournament. Live Coverage for both matches can be found on the Pomona-Pitzer Athletics Website.