Women's Volleyball Splits Season-Opener; Rogoz Books 1000th Career Kill

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 1,000^th 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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