by Brice Nixon
Sports Editor
The women’s volleyball team can only wait for an invitation to the playoffs after two conference wins by the Leopards clinched second place.
La Verne hosted third-place Whittier Tuesday and won 15-9, 12-15, 15-8 and 15-12.
The teams split the first two games but a decisive third-game win by the Leopards propelled them to victory.
ULV raced to a commanding 13-4 lead in the third game as sophomore outside hitter Pamela Hunnicutt pounded four of her five kills in the game.
The Poets ran off four straight before a kill by junior outside hitter Amy Brummel deflated Whittier’s hopes of rallying. Brummel, who had a match-high 23 kills, followed another kill with an ace to win the game, giving the Leopards a 2-1 match lead.
“She and Pam had a lot of good swings,” said head coach Don Flora. “[Freshman outside hitter] Kelsey [Kennedy] dug a ton of balls on the left side, so our left sides played really well.”
La Verne (14-7, 8-3 SCIAC) led 11-5 in the fourth game when Whittier (12-15, 6-5) turned ULV’s comfortable lead into a 12-11 edge in their favor.
“Their balls come over sloppy,” said Flora. “So we had to scrap and be defensively tough, and that’s something we don’t do as well as we should. [They were] difficult angles, funny-looking balls.”
Four straight points by the Leopards won the game as Hunnicutt, who had 12 kills, repeatedly came up with kills to keep Whittier from rallying. Freshman middle blocker Stacey Lupu had two late kills as ULV won 15-12 to clinch the match.
“We got a lot of good touches at the end of the game,” said Flora. “Our right sides made some adjustments and the left sides made good touches.”
Senior middle blocker Allison Moore and freshman outside hitter Sue Whitcher both had 10 kills for the Leopards and Moore added three blocks. Along with her match-high number of kills, Brummel came up with a team-high 14 digs.
Friday, La Verne defeated Redlands in three games, 15-13, 15-9 and 15-13.
The Leopards took a 12-7 lead in the third before Redlands tied the score, 12-12. After falling behind 13-12, Brummel gave the serve to ULV. Kills by Hunnicutt and Brummel gave La Verne a 15-13 victory.
ULV opened a 9-3 lead in the first game before the Bulldogs showed resiliency that was constant throughout the match.
“They seem to work real hard when they’re down, so that’s a nice tribute to them,” said Flora.
Redlands reeled off seven straight points to grab a 10-9 lead, but the Leopards regained control with four straight points. The Bulldogs closed to within one at 14-13 before La Verne escaped with a 15-13 win.
The Leopards scored six straight points to open the second game, eventually taking a 12-2 lead. Brummel (11 kills) and sophomore middle blocker Adriana Contreras both recorded three kills to pace La Verne’s run. Redlands could get no closer than four as ULV dominated for a two games to none lead, giving Flora the chance to play some of the non-starters.
“[Freshman middle blocker] A.J. [Tsapanos] came in and got some good swings. Pamela came in and gave us some really good offense. She was grippin’ and rippin’ and that’s what she does really well. She brings some heat.”
ULV trailed 6-5 in the third game before taking command. Kills by Whitcher (10 kills) and Tsapanos, and a kill and a block by Hunnicutt gave La Verne a 12-7 lead.
The Bulldogs then came back with six straight and were up 13-12 before kills by Hunnicutt and Brummel finished off Redlands.
