The Pomona-Pitzer Women’s Volleyball team closed their 1999 season with a disappointing loss to the powerful Cal Lutheran Regals on Thursday, November 4. The Regals dominated the Hens sweeping 15-6, 15-11, 15-3, but valiant competition was offered by the Sagehens in the second game as they rallied to score 11 points.

Joseph Koch Allison Rindlaub ‘02 puts a kill down past this unsuccessful block

Although they struggled defensively against the strong Cal Lutheran hitters, the Sagehens did have some strong offensive performances from outside hitter Colleen Chrisco ‘03, Allison Rindlaub ‘02, and specifically Samantha Hauff ‘01 who scored an amazing .700 attack percentage with seven kills.

The Sagehen team wasn’t particularly disappointed with their loss as they entered the game without high expectations. Cal Lutheran was undefeated this season with a record of 12-0 in SCIAC play. "Cal Lutheran is amazingly strong this season," explained Colleen Chrisco, "They are strong both offensively and defensively and they are definitely the best team in our conference. We did not go into this game expecting to win, but we did want to do our best." Cal Lutheran will go on to play Colorado College in the NCAA West Regional Competition at UC San Diego on Thursday, November 11 at 7:30.

The Sagehens ended this year’s season with a SCIAC record of 3-9 and an overall record of 7-15. This put them in fifth place over Redlands in their six team SCIAC division which consisted of Cal Lutheran, La Verne, Whittier, Occidental, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, and Redlands. This record, although somewhat disappointing, was not a total suprise to the young volleyball team. Head Coach Pam Havlick insisted at the beginning of the season that "this year will be a year of building and growth as new players gain more experience." This season the volleyball team focused on strengthening their offense, becoming more unified, and increasing the playing time and experience for the younger members of the team. They hope that this is the key to a stronger SCIAC conference finish in the 2000 fall season.

Next year’s season looks promising to the Sagehens. The young team which consisted of six freshmen, two sophomores, three juniors, and no seniors will be essentially the same. The two Junior captains will be returning to lead the team as seniors and the entire team will hopefully have more experience and playing continuity. They are looking to improve on their disappointing 7-15 record next year.