Women's volleyball sweeps Whittier in home opener

ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University women's volleyball team swept Whittier College 25-22, 26-24, and 25-21 in their home opener on Friday night to secure their third win in a row and their first SCIAC win. The Panthers were led by juniors Courtney Justus and Lindsey Johnson, who both had eight kills.

All three sets were neck-in-neck, with neither team ever leading by more than five points.

Chapman took the largest lead in the first set when junior Lauren Friend smashed a ball down the middle of the court to make it 17-12. The Poets scored five of the next six points to pull within one, but the Panthers finished out the set strong, taking it 25-22.

Whittier came out strong and led Chapman throughout the beginning of the second set behind freshman Ashley Whittal who tallied 13 kills against the Panther defense. Chapman and Whittier exchanged leads nine times in the second set, until junior Jessica Blum hammered the final point of the match to put the Panthers up two sets to none.

The Poets took an early 2-0 lead in the third set, but Chapman answered right back with five points of their own from five different players. The Panthers kept the lead through the middle of the set until Whittier sophomore Alaina Rhee tied the game 14-14. A solo block from Friend helped Chapman regain the lead, and they finished out on top with a final score of 25-21.

The Panther's defense could be felt all over the court. Senior Cheri Raymundo tallied 22 digs, while fellow seniors Abby Smith and Kylie Cooke both worked together on three decisive blocks.

Chapman travels to Cal Lutheran this weekend but returns home to Hutton Sports Center on Tuesday, Sept. 19 as they take on Redlands.

by Katie Bell
Sports Information Assistant

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