LA VERNE, CA - The No. 7 University of La Verne volleyball team dominated the Whittier Invitational, winning all three matches to stay unbeaten on the season. The Leopards took down Whitworth in four sets on Friday before sweeping both Whitman and UC Santa Cruz in Saturday's doubleheader at the Sports Science & Athletic Pavilion.

Game One: La Verne 3, Whitworth 1 (23-25, 25-21, 25-12, 25-17)

The Leopards dropped their first set of the match but quickly regrouped to take control of their tournament opener in The Tents.

Mya Ray led the charge with a match-high 23 kills on .487 hitting and 11 digs. Lauren Gott added 12 kills, and Zacky Coaston was a force in the middle with eight kills on .400 hitting and a team-best five blocks. 

The setting duo of Malia Capistrano (24 assists, 13 digs) and Vanessa Marquez (14 assists, seven digs) kept the offense balanced, while Keilani Mumulo anchored the defense with a match-high 17 digs. 

After edging Whitworth in the second set, La Verne dominated the third with a .407 hitting percentage, then closed the match with a 25-17 win in the fourth.

Game Two: La Verne 3, Whitman 0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-13)

The Leopards controlled the match from start to finish, hitting .250 as a team while limiting Whitman to -.062.

Ray continued her strong weekend, tallying 15 kills on .500 hitting along with five digs and two aces. Gott chipped in seven kills and six digs, and Coaston patrolled the net with five blocks.

America Reynaga directed the attack with a team-high 15 assists, adding an ace and five digs. She was joined by Capistrano (seven assists, four digs) and Marquez (five assists, six digs) in running the offense.

Offensively, Abigail Montana sparked the Leopards with six kills on a .400 clip, and Valerie Gallegos filled the box score with three kills, three aces, and five blocks. Mumolo steadied the back row with seven digs as La Verne never trailed and pulled away late in each set to secure its second sweep of the weekend.

Game Three: La Verne 3, UC Santa Cruz 0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-9)

The Leopards closed the tournament with their most dominant effort, hitting .315 as a team while holding the Banana Slugs to just .078.

Ray was once again the standout, hammering 16 kills on .500 hitting to go with 10 digs. Coaston added four kills on .500 hitting and three blocks, while Gott contributed five kills. Gallegos stayed hot with five kills, three blocks, and a .273 hitting percentage.

Reynaga (10 assists, two aces), Capistrano (six assists, two aces), and Marquez (18 assists, two aces) shared setting duties and kept the attack sharp. Mumolo led the defense with 10 digs, while Mariah Ray and Alanna Jones combined for seven kills and seven blocks to cap a balanced team performance.

Up Next

The Leopards (6-0) head to the Midwest for their first road trip of the season, traveling to Wisconsin for the UW-Oshkosh Invitational. No. 7 La Verne opens play on Friday, September 12, at 5 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. CT against host No. 6 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh before continuing tournament action throughout the weekend.