Leopards spike Pomona-Pitzer in 5
Campus Times
October 16, 1998
Sophomore outside hitter Amy Brummel digs to make the save from an
oncoming spike by Pomona-Pitzer. Brummel is backed up by junior middle blocker
Sarah Henry and freshman middle blocker Adriana Contreras. La Verne defeated
the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens in five games Friday, 8-15, 15-10, 15-3, 9-15
and 15-6.
by Ryan Allen
Arts & Entertainment Editor
In a see-saw battle against the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens, the University
of La Verne women's volleyball team pulled out an 8-15, 15-10, 15-3, 9-15,
and 15-6 victory in the Supertents last Friday.
The five-game victory over Pomona-Pitzer was the Leopards' first of
two victories in five days. ULV went 2-1 last week, 1-1 on the road. After
the Pomona-Pitzer match, La Verne went on the road to Cal Lutheran University
and got swept in three games, 15-2, 15-2, 15-3, by the powerful Regals,
whose team included two division one transfers.
After licking their wounds from the Cal Lutheran match, the Leopards
went to the University of Redlands, where they swept the Bulldogs, 15-10,
15-8, 17-15, as the ULV volleyball squad improved its record to 4-2 in the
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC).
After the Pomona-Pitzer match, head coach Don Flora said, "We had
the mentality that we were going to win that game."
As usual, ULV got off to a slow start. They trailed in the first game
12-1 until a pair of aces were delivered to the Sagehens, one by senior
outside hitter Lynsey Best, who compiled eight kills, and the other by junior
setter Michelle Louie, who racked up a total of 44 assists, three aces and
six total blocks, making the score 12-5 in favor of Pomona-Pitzer.
But the comeback was too little, too late, due to a combination of service
reception errors and a fired up Pomona-Pitzer team, who would eventually
win the first game, 15-8.
"We had a good warm-up but a real hesitant start," said Flora
about the Leopards lethargic start of the match.
The second game was all La Verne. Sophomore outside hitter Amy Brummel,
who finished the match with nine kills, two aces, and three blocks, began
the scoring with an ace, and ULV would eventually take a 5-2 lead.
The tough serving, which gave the Sagehens the advantage in the first
game, would prove to be their downfall in the second, as they pull to within
one, 11-10, before ULV closed the door on them with a key block by Louie
and junior middle blocker Sarah Henry. La Verne went on to win the game,
15-10.
With the score now tied at 1-1, La Verne knew it had to win the important
and pivotal third game, and it did just that.
Henry, who finished with a match high 18 kills and eight blocks, served
three aces in a row at one point, which assisted in advancing the Leopards
to a 9-1 lead.
The Leopards outscored Pomona-Pitzer, 10-2, and won off an overpass,
which was put away by Best to win the game, 15-3, which included six ULV
aces.
Pomona-Pitzer was not about to roll over and give-up. The Sagehens fired
off five quick points and would ultimately take an 8-3 lead. The Leopards
could not answer back and would eventually lose the game, 15-9.
In the final game, the Leopards took the match into their own hands
and blasted off to an 8-4 commanding lead. With the help of freshman middle
blocker Adrianna Contreras' two aces, which gave her a total of four aces
and seven kills in the match, and Henry's game/match winning kill, the Leopards
defeated Pomona-Pitzer, 15-6, in the fifth.
This was a good victory for ULV, and, as the players felt, they have
improved their overall mental toughness.
"At the beginning of the season, we would go into a mental lapse
and give up four or five points at a time," said Louie. "Now we
are more mentally tough, and we're able to eliminate those mental lapses."
Best reinforced this idea and said, "I think if, anything, we give
up less mental errors. We are doing better adjusting to the players being
put on the court."
The Leopards are currently 7-10 overall and 4-2 in SCIAC.
After the Redlands match sophomore outside hitter Amy Brummel, who finished
the Pomona-Pitzer match with nine kills, said, "We needed that win.
It builds confidence by winning because we knew Cal Lutheran was good, and
you can't put too much thought into that [loss] game."
The University of La Verne women's volleyball team will have a chance
for redemption, as it hosts Cal Lutheran tomorrow in the Supertents at 7:30
p.m.
"We are looking for a win and looking to play the best we can,"
said Brummel concerning the rematch against the Regals.
