CLAREMONT, Ca. – The Pomona-Pitzer Women's Water Polo team opened the 2025 Convergence Tournament with two wins after a 20-6 win over Whittier and a 21-11 win over Santa Clara on Friday afternoon at Haldeman Pool.
Pomona-Pitzer 20, Whittier 6
The Sagehens started Convergence with a big SCIAC win over Whittier where the Sagehen offense put up 20 goals. Leading the way was
Paityn Richardson who netted four goals in the win. Also netting a hat-trick was
Kaylee Stigar with three while
Brienz Lang,
Harper Casey-Housand, and
Bella McGowan had two and
Natalie Sullivan Wu,
Gabby Lewis,
Diana Hatter,
Layla Szymczak,
Sara Archer,
Sophia Berger, and
Ava Gurney had one.
A 5-0 start for the Sagehens in the first after goals from Stigar, Richardson, Lang, Lewis and Szymczak. The defense shut out the Poets for the majority of the first half, but the Sagehens built a huge lead after goals in the second from Stigar, Lang, Richardson, and McGowan to make it 12-1 heading into halftime.
Berger, Sullivan Wu and Hatter netted goals in the third to grow the lead to 15-2 and the Sagehens ended the game outscoring Whittier 5-4 in the fourth as Casey-Housand, Gurney, Archer, and McGowan finished game one with a goal as the Sagehens opened Convergence with a SCIAC win.
Pomona-Pitzer 21, Santa Clara 11
The Sagehens then turned their attention to the Santa Clara Broncos in game two. The Sagehens were led by Lang who netted four goals in the win. Stigar netted another hat-trick with three along with
Mia Amberger while
Sydney Bianchi,
Lulu Gaither, and Richardson had two with Sullivan Wu, Szymczak, Gurney,
Chloe Mei Espinosa, and
Sydney Bowns had one.
The Sagehens started well as Amberger opened the first with a goal followed by Lang, and Stigar to stay on top of the Broncos in the first. Gaither and Amberger put the Sagehens up 5-2 in the first, but Santa Clara matched the Sagehens with five goals in the second to keep the game at three goals with Pomona-Pitzer up 10-7 at halftime.
The Broncos got the game down to 11-10 in the third before the Sagehens turned up the offense in the second half. The Sagehens went on to outscore Santa Clara 10-1 the rest of the way. Stigar, Espinosa and Lang got the Sagehens lead to 14-10 at the end of the third and then a goals from Amberger, Gaither, Sullivan Wu, Richardson, Bianchi, and Gurney widened the gap as the Sagehens put up back-to-back games of 20+ goals to end day one of Convergence.
Up Next: The Sagehens will next host USC and Mount St. Mary's in day two of Convergence.
