CLAREMONT, Ca. – The Sagehens split day two of the 2021 Pacific Coast Classic, ending on a high note with a 3-0 sweep over Augustana. In the first match against George Fox, the Sagehens dropped the two sets but battled back to take set three before George Fox earned the victory with a tight 29-27 fourth set. The second match of the day saw the Sagehens dominate the attack, winning 25-20, 25-10, and 25-17. Lauren Asato recorded 40 digs on the day and 37 yesterday, giving her 77 between the four games. Asato's efforts earned her a spot on the 2021 Pacific Coast Classic All-Tournament Team.

2021 Pacific Coast Classic All-Tournament Team

Game One – George Fox 3, Pomona-Pitzer 1 

Pomona-Pitzer started set one with a 2-0 lead and continued trading blows with the Bruins all the way to an 11-11 tie. The Bruins then went on a 7-0 run to take an 18-11 lead, forcing the Sagehens to take a timeout. Out of the break, Naomi Chen-Mallouk recorded a kill to spark the attack. Pomona-Pitzer earned kills from Laurel Park, Kellan Hayes, and Paige Wilson to stay in the fight but the Bruins pulled away, eventually earning the 25-21 win in the set.

Set two saw the Bruins take an early 4-2 lead but the Sagehens rallied to earn five-straight points, giving them a 7-4 lead. Paige Wilson and Laurel Park would each record a kill to help take a 10-8 lead but the Bruins quickly answered, going on a 17-9 run to win the set 25-19.

George Fox kept the momentum going in the third set, fighting to a 5-2 lead but Pomona-Pitzer answered with five-straight points to a 7-5 lead. The Sagehens continued to rally, working their way to an 17-11 lead. The Bruins pulled within one, trailing 17-16 but the Sagehens went on a torrent 8-1 run to take the set 25-17. The Sagehens and Bruins traded blows in set four, tying the game 22 times. Pomona-Pitzer lost the late battle as George Fox earned the 29-27 victory to win the game 3-1.

Game Two – Pomona-Pitzer 3, Augustana 0

Paige Wilson recorded back-to-back service aces to start set one and the Sagehens' attack kept the momentum going. Pomona-Pitzer worked their way to a 10-7 lead, utilizing kills from Chloe Gill, Paige Wilson, and numerous errors from the Vikings. Augustana pushed back, tying the game at 15-15 but Pomona-Pitzer went on an 8-3 run, taking a 23-18 lead. A Chloe Gill and an attack error from Augustana would end the set 25-23 in favor of the Sagehens.

Set two saw an early back and forth battle with the Vikings taking a 6-5 edge over the Sagehens. Pomona-Pitzer responded with an incredible 16-3 run with kills from Laurel Park, Paige Wilson, Grace Fan, Naomi Chen-Mallouk, and Kellan Hayes. An attack error on the Sagehens would bring the long run to an end but a Kellan Hayes kill and two errors from the Vikings ended the set, giving Pomona-Pitzer a 25-10 win. 

The beginning of the third set played much like the first two as each team traded blows, working their way to a tie at 5-5. The Vikings recorded three-straight errors with Grace Fan earning a kill to give Pomona-Pitzer a 9-5 lead. The Sagehens continued their stretch with a 10-3 run to push their lead to 19-8. The Vikings put the pressure on late, forcing errors on the Sagehens while recording three kills but Pomona-Pitzer wouldn't be denied the third set victory as Kellan Hayes recorded the final kill of the match. With the kill, the Sagehens defeated Augustana 25-17 in the third set, giving Pomona-Pitzer their first win of the season.

What's Up Next

The Sagehens are back in action on Sept. 10 and Sept. 11 with matches against Pacific Lutheran, UC Santa Cruz, Puget Sound, and Whitworth.