CLAREMONT, Ca. – The Pomona-Pitzer volleyball team opened the 2023 campaign with a 3-2 loss to St. Catherine and a 3-0 victory over St. John Fisher on day one of the Pacific Coast Classic in Voelkel Gymnasium. The Sagehens will be back in action tomorrow when they host Southwestern (Tex.) and Wis. Eau Claire at 12:45 PM and 5:30 PM. 

Pomona-Pitzer 2, St. Catherine 3
The Sagehens got off to a quick start in set one with a 3-0 run with a Chloe Gill kill and a service ace from Paige Wilson. Pomona-Pitzer extended their lead to 5-2 with another kill from Gill and one from Paige Mountanos. The set proved to be evenly matched as the two teams traded attacks, working their way to an 11-11 tie before the Wildcats took the lead at 15-13. Pomona-Pitzer stayed within reach tying the game at 19-19 but St. Catherine outscored the Sagehens 6-4 down the stretch to take set one. Set two saw the Sagehens jump out to a 7-3 lead before extending it to 12-8. Pomona-Pitzer pushed further to 15-13 but a 9-2 run from St. Catherine put the Wildcats on top 20-17. From there, the Wildcats earned a 5-4 edge to take set two 25-21. 
 
The Sagehens regrouped on their home court, taking set three 25-22 to extend the match before soaring to a 25-11 victory in set four. The team swung at a .480 clip in the set, recording 14 kills with just two errors. The Wildcats countered in the fifth set, defeated the Sagehens 15-6 to win game one of the Pacific Coast Classic 3-2. 
 
Pomona-Pitzer 3, St. John Fisher 0
The Sagehens trailed 4-2 in the early going over set one but quickly turned things around to take a 7-5 lead over the Cardinals. St. John Fisher tied the game at 7-7 but the Sagehens recorded the next seven points with kills from Paige Wilson and Paige Mountanos, taking a convincing 14-7 lead. From there, the Sagehens continued to pressure, extending their lead to 18-10. St. John Fisher cut the lead to 19-13 but a 6-2 run from the Sagehens gave them the 25-15 set one win. 
 
Pomona-Pitzer continued to stay strong in set two, starting with a 5-3 run before extending their lead to 11-6 with a service ace from Savanna Cespedes. Pomona-Pitzer made another push to 17-7 and later 21-11 with a block from Samantha Grabb and Tene Ariyo. Down the stretch, the Sagehens outscored the Cardinals 4-2 to take set two 25-15. 
 
The Sagehens completed the sweep after hitting .344 in the third set, recording 13 kills and just two errors. Paige Mountanos and Samantha Grabb led the team with six kills each while Paige Wilson recorded five kills and three service aces.