Leopards Earn Five-Set Triumph At Pomona-Pitzer
Facing a decisive fifth set, the University of La Verne used runs of 5-0 and 4-0, hitting .364 in the final frame to hold off Pomona-Pitzer 3-2 in SCIAC volleyball action Tuesday night in Claremont.
Set scores were 24-26, 26-24, 25-21, 19-25, 15-10.
Pomona-Pitzer held a 7-5 lead in the fifth set before the Leopards went on a key 5-0 run to wrest the lead away from the Sagehens. Leading 10-9, the Leos embarked on a 4-0 run on three consecutive kills from three different players, followed by a block from Catie Logan and Tiffany Johnstone to lead 14-9. One point later, Randi Taylor-Toomay finished off the match with a kill.
Both teams split the opening two sets, with the Hens opening the match with a 26-24 before the Leopards returned the favor by hitting .351 for an identical 26-24 set triumph. La Verne took a 2-1 lead to take the third stanza, but the Sagehens enjoyed their highest hitting percentage in the fourth set with a .282 hitting clip to force a fifth frame.
Statistically, La Verme hit .235 on the evening and recorded 9 total blocks compared to .223 and 4 for Pomona-Pitzer. The Sagehens held a 91-86 edge in digs.
The Leos enjoyed a solid effort from Logan who total 16 kills in 30 attempts with only two errors. She also collected 6 blocks in the win. Kayla Cribbs totaled 15 kills, Taylor-Toomay registered a double-double of 12 kills and 11 digs and Anna Saurez collected 27 digs for the Leos.
With the win, the Leopards improved to 10-7 overall and 4-2 in SCIAC play. The Sagehens dropped to 5-11 and 3-4.
La Verne will host its annual Leopard Invitational this weekend as play begins Friday at Frantz Athletic Court.
