Capturing its third victory in as many days, the University of Redlands volleyball team handled the visiting Poets of Whittier College in straight sets, 25-9, 25-15, 25-12, in Currier Gym on Saturday. With the win, the Bulldogs now sit in sole possession of first place with every other team in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) having at least two losses.

Against Whittier, the Maroon and Gray controlled the pace of play with solid hitting and tenacious defense. As a team, the Bulldogs belted out a .340 hitting percentage with junior outside hitter Jackie Hamilton (Loma Linda, CA) posting a match-high 13 kills. Junior Megan Phillips (Vista, CA) added 10 kills, while sophomore middle blocker Emily Capozzoli (Poway, CA) supplied nine kills off of 14 attempts for a .571 clip. Senior libero Lauren Harding (Altadena, CA) supplied a match-high 20 digs as senior setter Kelina Smith (Kurtistown, HI) distributed 33 assists.

The Bulldogs jumped out to an early four-point lead with Harding serving the team’s first six points in the opening set. Smith followed suit and extended the lead to 11-3 and Redlands never looked back en route to the impressive 25-9 victory.

During the second set, the Poets came out firing and held a slight lead at 9-8 but then junior defensive specialist Chelsea Arcaris (Vista, CA) rattled off five points to put Redlands ahead, 13-9. The Bulldogs maintained control and came away with the 25-15 win.

In the final set, Redlands earned a solid lead from the opening serve and never relinquished control. With consistent and aggressive play, the Maroon and Gray earned the sweep by a deciding score of 25-12.

Earlier this week, the Bulldogs traveled to La Sierra University and Caltech, earning three-set wins against both opponents. During Thursday’s match against the Golden Eagles, Redlands utilized 17 players while resting a few starters in the 25-13, 25-15, 25-13 victory. Sophomore outside hitter Caitlin Chisholm (Gilroy, CA) tallied an impressive hitting percentage of .357 with a team-leading six kills.

Friday’s match against the Beavers saw much of the same as Redlands prevailed by scores of 25-9, 25-8, 25-11. Chisholm continued to dominate the offense with 12 kills at a .556 clip. Freshman right side hitter Alexa Herlosky (Henderson, NV) added six kills and no errors for a hitting percentage of .750. Sophomore setter Allison Light (Wildomar, CA) came up with 37 assists in the win.

Redlands (11-3, 5-1 SCIAC) looks forward to hosting the University of La Verne on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in an important conference showdown. The volleyball team invites its fans to “CRAM CURRIER” for this exciting match.