Tigers end drought; defeat Pomona-Pitzer in nail biter

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Sept. 19, 2009) – For the first time since 2001 the Occidental College volleyball team defeated the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens, but it was as close as could be, going to five sets. The Tigers looked to freshman Logan Boyer-Hayse under pressure and she came through in the clutch as the black and orange remain undefeated in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.

All but one game were decided by two-points with Occidental taking the first 26-24. PP stormed back to dominate game two winning 25-13. The tenacious Tigers battled to win the third set by the same margin of victory as in the first set. In the fourth game, again Pomona-Pitzer earned a victory, but the teams, obviously evenly matched, needed extra points to determine a winner. The Sagehens finished on top 32-30. In the final match, the Tigers looked to newcomer Boyer-Hayse who brought the game to even at 14 with a back-to-back kills before earning the only solo block of the night to put the Tigers ahead 15-14. The final point of the game was hit long by PP, giving Oxy the game and match.

The freshman outside hitter notched an Oxy match-high 20 kills, adding two service aces and 12 digs, for a double-double, en route to the second Tigers’ SCIAC win of the season. Classmate Kasey Rose finished with 17 kills of her own with four aces and a team-high 20 digs. Junior Kathryn Bockmon also tallied double-figure kills with 10.

Junior setter Ginger Grimes racked up 43 assist, with Boyer-Hayse collecting the remaining four. Freshman Anna Kurniziki played all five games and finished with 16 digs and senior Ashley Rosenbaum contributed four block assists.

The schedule for Occidental doesn’t get any easier as the Tigers travel to the University of La Verne to take on the defending (nine consecutive) SCIAC Champion Leopards, who are under new leadership this fall, on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 3:00 p.m.