CLAREMONT, Ca. – The Pomona-Pitzer volleyball team kicked off their 2022 campaign with the Pacific Coast Classic, going 1-1 on the day, falling to No. 8 NYU (17-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-21) while defeating Sul Ross St. 3-1 (25-16, 25-21, 25-27, 25-23). The Sagehens will be back in action tomorrow for day two of the Pacific Coast Classic with matches against Babson and New England at 3:45 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. 

NYU 3, Pomona-Pitzer 1

The Sagehens started off the 2022 season with a first set victory after shooting out to a 10-6 lead to force an NYU timeout. Out of the break, the Sagehens continued to press with Paige Mountanos, Chloe Gill, Grace Fan, and Paige Wilson all recording kills to extend the lead to 17-11. NYU earned the next two points, but Pomona-Pitzer responded with a 6-1 run to take a 23-14 lead before Gill and Mountanos put it away with stellar attacks, taking the set 25-17. 

The Violets got out to a better start in the second set, taking an early 3-1 lead before taking a 10-6 lead, like the Sagehens did in set one. The Sagehens fought to close the gap to 11-8 but an 8-3 run from NYU pushed the lead to 19-11. Pomona-Pitzer continued to attack as Wilson, Mountanos, Gill, and Kellan Hayes all recorded kills but NYU took the set 25-20.  

Set three featured a much tighter opening as the two teams worked through four ties before NYU went on a 3-0 run to take an 8-5 lead. The Violets benefited from three attack errors to take a 16-12 lead, forcing a Pomona-Pitzer timeout. The Sagehens timeout resulted in an NYU attack error, but the Violets responded with a 4-0 run to take a 20-13 lead. The Sagehens made a slight comeback in the set, but NYU held on to take the 25-18 victory in set three. 

The Sagehens started set four with a Mountanos kill to spark a 9-4 run that saw Gill, Fan, Laurel Park, Eleanor Nicholson, Kellan Hayes, and Kylie Mies all record kills. The Violets brought the game to a tie at 13-13 but kills from Park and Fan pushed the lead out to 15-13. NYU turned things around quickly with a 12-6 run that gave them the 25-21 victory in set four and 3-1 victory over the Sagehens.

Pomona-Pitzer 3, Sul Ross St. 1

The Sagehens made quick work of the Lobos in set one as they shot out to a commanding 17-9 lead which included a 6-0 run. Pomona-Pitzer dominated on attack in the first set, recording 12 kills with a .258 hitting percentage to carry them through the set. The Sagehens saw kills from Wilson, Hayes, and Mountanos down the stretch to take set one 25-16.  

Set two started with two Chloe Gill kills followed by a Lauren Asato service ace but the Lobos came back with a 7-2 run to take a 7-5 lead. Two kills from Fan and a Gill ace put the Sagehens back on top at 8-7 but the Lobos regained the lead with a kill and Sagehen error. From there, the Sagehens outscored the Lobos 10-5 to make it 18-14 before trading blows with Sul Ross St., earning the edge with a 25-21 victory in set two. 

Set three featured a similar start as set two with the Sagehens working to a 5-3 lead but the Lobos fought their way to a 12-11 lead. The set would prove to be a battle as the game came to a tie at 15-15 and later 24-24 with the Lobos holding much of the momentum as they utilized a 3-0 run to take away a 24-21 Pomona-Pitzer lead. The Lobos recorded three kills down the stretch to take set three 27-25.

In set four, the Lobos recorded three kills to take a 3-2 lead but a 4-0 run lead by two Gill aces put the Sagehens on top 6-3. Sul Ross St. responded with a 9-2 run to force a Sagehen timeout and take a 12-8 lead. The run continued as the Lobos went on a 5-2 run, extending their lead to 17-10. The Sagehens answered with a 4-1 run that resulted in a quick timeout from the Lobos to attempt to halt the Pomona-Pitzer attack. Out of the break, the Lobos extended their lead to 22-16 but a Sagehen timeout followed by eight unanswered points from Pomona-Pitzer made it 24-22. The Lobos were able to record one more kill but Paige Mountanos recorded the last kill of the game to cap off the 25-23 comeback set victory, taking the match 3-1 over the Lobos.