THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.— It was a Senior Night sweep for the Cal Lutheran women's volleyball team as the Regals shut down the Pomona Pitzer Sagehens, 3-0, Friday in Gilbert Arena. The scores were 25-15, 25-22, 25-23.
Before the game, the Regals celebrated their senior class of Hannah Cantrell, Paris Dosch, CJ O'Brien, Amanda Roberts and Steph Rolfson. After that, it was game on as the seniors looked to make their mark on the game.
With the win, Cal Lutheran moved into sole possession of the No. 2 spot in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). It was the Regals second straight win, and seventh win in their last eight games. They finished the regular season 17-10 overall and 11-5 in SCIAC play. The final seeding for the SCIAC Tournament will be determined tomorrow night.
Roberts led the offense with 14 kills and three service aces. She was one dig shy of a double-double and tallied nine. Rolfson recorded 13 assists, seven digs and one service ace. Dosch chipped in with two kills, two blocks and three digs and Cantrell tallied two digs and one block assist.
It was an all-around game for the Regals as many student-athletes contributed on the night. Jennifer Kent dished out 19 assists and added 10 digs. Maci Haddad swatted down double-digit kills with 10 and hit with a .500 clip. Jordan MacArthur added big kills and tallied eight.
Defensively, three Regals recorded double-digit digs. MacArhtur and Carly Rose Howard joined Kent in double digits with 16 and 15, respectively.
Cal Lutheran got the early lead in the first set and was up 11-6. The Regals scored six straight points, capped off by an ace from Dosch and then a block assist from Cantrell and Samantha Landrum. CLU used that momentum throughout the rest of the set. A little bit later, CLU scored four straight and had a 16-9 lead. The points kept coming in bunches as the Regals scored five straight to end the first set at 25-15.
The Violet and Gold kept the momentum going into the second set and had a firm grasp on the lead. Pomona-Pitzer was able to fight back and the set was eventually tied at 15. The set was tied from 15 all the way to 20. After back-to-back errors from the Sagehens, Roberts made it three straight points for the Regals with a kill. CLU went onto win the third set 25-22 and had a 2-0 match lead.
CLU was looking to close out the game and clinch a spot in the SCIAC postseason tournament in the third set. Pomona-Pitzer wouldn't go away quietly as Cal Lutheran only led 9-8. The Regals then rattled off four straight points, two coming off kills from Haddad and Roberts, to give them some breathing room at 13-8. Errors were an issue for both teams the rest of the way, as CLU still had the lead at 23-19. The next two Cal Lutheran points came off kills from Haddad as the Regals won the set, 25-23, and swept the Sagehens.
The Regals next opponent, in the semifinals of the SCIAC Postseason Tournament, will be determined Saturday afternoon. The semifinals match will be played Thursday.
If Claremont-Mudd-Scripps defeats Chapman, and La Verne beats Pomona-Pitzer, the Regals will host La Verne in the first round. If La Verne loses, CLU will host Chapman in the first round. If Chapman knocks off CMS, the Regals will play at Chapman.
Interview with CJ O'Brien and Hannah Cantrell:
Box Score: CLU 3, PP 0
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
