LA VERNE, Calif. — Occidental College split in day one of the Whittier/La Verne Invitational, defeating Willamette 3-1 (25-21, 25-20, 19-25, 25-20) before falling to Pacific (OR) 3-2 (25-21, 19-25, 25-12, 20-25, 15-9).
In the first match against Willamette, Occidental showcased a strong offensive performance, finishing with 54 kills and a .188 hitting percentage while limiting Willamette to 43 kills and a .083 percentage. The game flow saw Occidental take control early; after a 4-4 tie, they surged ahead with five straight points.
Jasmine Shum highlighted the first set with key service runs, including an ace and kills from teammates, culminating in a 25-21 win.
The second set featured Occidental maintaining a lead throughout, building a 14-6 advantage with contributions from various hitters and blocks. Although Willamette attempted to close the gap, Occidental secured the set 25-20 with pivotal kills from Shum and
Sloane Shoop.
After dropping the third set 25-19, Occidental rebounded in the fourth, breaking a 17-17 tie by winning seven of the next eight rallies. Shum's three kills and her service ace helped seal the set 25-20, giving Occidental a solid victory.
**Occidental Top Performers vs. Willamette**
Jasmine Shum
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- 18.0 points
- 15 kills
- 9 digs
- 2 service aces
Sloane Shoop
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- 15.0 points
- 13 kills
- 4 blocks
- 5 digs
Kendall Taylor
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- 22 assists
- 9 digs
- 1 kill
Chloe Jeong
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- 18 assists
- 9 digs
- 1 service ace
Elizabeth Hermosillo
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- 14 digs
In the second match against Pacific (OR), Occidental again recorded more kills (54-45) and hit a higher percentage (.164) compared to Pacific's .094 but fell short in a tightly contested match, losing the deciding set 15-9. The first set was a struggle as Occidental faced a 10-5 deficit but rallied to tie at 13-13, only to lose 25-21.
The second set saw Occidental take control after overcoming an 11-12 deficit, ultimately winning 25-19 thanks to key kills from Shum, Curtis-Revelle, and Van Haeren. Occidental dominated the third set 25-12, led by Curtis-Revelle's strong performance and early momentum.
However, the fourth set started poorly for Occidental, falling behind 9-0. Despite a late surge to close the gap, they lost 25-20. In the fifth set, a quick deficit proved too much to overcome as Pacific (OR) finished the match 15-9.
**Occidental Top Performers vs. Pacific (OR)**
Anna Curtis-Revelle
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- 15 kills (1 error, 32 attempts) on .438 hitting
- 6 total blocks
- 19 points
Eyleen Sanchez
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- 26 digs
- 8 assists
- 1 kill on 1.000 hitting
Elizabeth Hermosillo
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- 22 digs
- 4 service aces
- 1 kill on 1.000 hitting
Chloe Jeong
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- 21 assists
- 11 digs
Corinne Van Haeren
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- 12 kills (3 errors, 28 attempts) on .321 hitting
- 12 points
The Tigers are back in action tomorrow to take on a third Northwest Conference opponent, Whitman at 2 p.m. at Pomona-Pitzer. With a win, their 5-2 start would be the program's best since 2021.
