CLAREMONT, Calif. – On the opening day of the 2019 season, the Wentworth women's volleyball team split a pair of matches against Cal Lutheran and Occidental at the Pacific Coast Classic hosted in Claremont, California. The season-opening split moves to Leopards to 1-1, while two more matches await tomorrow vs. Redlands and Pomona-Pitzer.
GAME ONE: Cal Lutheran 3, Wentworth 0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-17)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Cal Lutheran, crowned National Champions in 2015, broke a 3-3 tie in the beginning of the first set and raced to an 11-5 advantage, and held on for an eventual 25-14 set win.
- The Leopards battled the 18-time NCAA Tournament participants in the second set, leading 6-4 after a kill from senior Samantha Lassiter (Rogers, Ark.). Wentworth teetered within a single point throughout the middle of the set, until Cal Lutheran turned a 16-13 lead into a 25-15 set win for the 2-0 match score.
- A heavy 8-0 run in the third set gave the Regals a 19-10 lead, which broke a one-point score (11-10). Cal Lutheran hung on despite a late rush from Wentworth, winning the match in straight sets.
STAT LEADERS – Wentworth
- Kills – Claire Quick (7), Samantha Lassiter (4), Leah Rogoz (4)
- Digs – Leah Rogoz (16), Claire Quick (14), Lexie Cambray (12)
- Assists – Chaise Kakuk (9), Jordan Chapman (9)
NOTEWORTHY
- Senior Leah Rogoz (Woodridge, Ill.) recorded her 1,000th career kill in the first match of the Classic and is the second women's volleyball player at Wentworth to reach the milestone. Rogoz continues to chase the all-time kills record, where she currently ranks second.
- Five Leopards made their collegiate debut in the match
- This was the first meeting between the two teams
GAME TWO: Wentworth 3, Occidental 1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-19, 25-20)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Leopards and Tigers battled in a close match, as both teams took an opening set for their own for a 1-1 match score after two sets. Wentworth hit a match-high .472 in the opener, yielding just a single error.
- WIT came firing out of the gates in the third set and established their presence early, as Rogoz served six straight points for a 9-2 lead. Quick then smashed a kill alongside two Tiger errors for a nine-point cushion, 12-3, Wentworth's largest lead of the set. Despite two substantial runs from Occidental, Wentworth continued to dominate the floor, as Lassiter put the set away on a pass from Chapman.
- In the closest set of the night, neither team gained a lead greater than two points until Quick capped a 4-1 spurt for a 13-11 Leopard advantage. The Leopards fought off the Tiger retaliation until Taylor Gorretta deadlocked the set 19-19, before a WIT miscue redirected the lead 20-19 in favor of Occidental. Wentworth called for a break after the go-ahead point, and rattled off six straight points, regaining the lead and sealing the set 25-20.
STAT LEADERS - Wentworth
- Kills - Claire Quick (16), Leah Rogoz (12), Mary Zlotosch (11)
- Digs – Lexie Cambray (22), Leah Rogoz (18), Claire Quick (15)
- Assists – Jordan Chapman (38), Chaise Kakuk
NOTEWORTHY
- Rogoz, Quick registered their first double-double of the season, respectively
- Chapman set career-high with 38 assists; breaks single match assists record in four sets
- First meeting between the two teams
NEXT:
- Leopards close out California trip tomorrow against Redlands and Pomona Pitzer.
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