ORANGE, Ca. – The Pomona-Pitzer volleyball team fell to the Chapman Panthers 3-0 (25-17, 26-24, 25-21) in their first conference matchup of the season. Chloe Kerstein led the Sagehens attack with seven kills. Naomi Chen-Mallouk was one behind with six of her own while Paige Wilson and Kellan Hayes recorded five and four kills, respectively. Kerstein and Hayes each dished out two services aces while Lauren Asato picked up 20 digs. Adrienne Tong led the Sagehens with 17 assissts while Kylie Mies dished out 13 of her own.

How It Happened

The Sagehens trailed by as much as four in the early going of set one but battled back to take a 14-13 lead over the Panthers with kills from Paige Wilson, Kellan Hayes, and Naomi Chen-Mallouk. Despite the offensive pressure from the Sagehens, Chapman charged forward, going on an 12-3 run to take set one 25-17.

The Panthers took their momentum from set one right into set two, going on a 5-0 run to start things off, forcing a Pomona-Pitzer timeout. Out of the break, Naomi Chen-Mallouk recorded a kill, but Chapman went on another 5-0 run to increase their lead to 10-1. Chloe Kerstein brought the run to an end after recording three-straight kills. Kerstein's kills sparked the Sagehens attack as Kellan Hayes recorded two service aces while Kylie Mies and Grace Fan each added kills to make it 16-11 in favor of Chapman. After back-to-back kills from the Panthers, Pomona-Pitzer called a timeout and came out swinging. The Sagehens went on a 10-2 run with kills from Grace Fan, Chloe Kerstein, Laurel Park, Gaby Harrison and a service ace from Kertstein, giving them a 21-20 lead. The two teams traded kills but a 5-2 run from Chapman would end the set 26-24, giving Chapman the 2-0 lead in the contest.

After a Lauren Asato service ace and Chloe Kerstein kill, the Sagehens found themselves with an early 3-2 lead. Chapman went on a 9-3 run to take the lead at 11-6, forcing Pomona-Pitzer to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, Kellan Hayes got things started with a kill, sparking a quick 3-0 run from the Sagehens. Chapman responded with a 3-0 run of their own before Pomona-Pitzer went on a 7-2 run to take a 17-16 lead in the game. The Panthers brought the Sagehens run to an end with five-straight points of their own, take a 21-17 lead that forced another timeout from Pomona-Pitzer. The two teams went point for point all the way to the end as Chapman defeated the Sagehens 25-21 to earn the 3-0 sweep. 

What's Up Next

Pomona-Pitzer will have a few days to regroup before taking on Whittier in their first home conference match of the year on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 4:00 p.m.