CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Skidmore College women's volleyball team suffered a pair of defeats in the first of two days of competition at the Pacific Coast Classic. The Thoroughbreds lost a tight one in four sets against Occidental College (24-26, 9-25, 25-22, 20-25) before going down in straight sets against host Pomona-Pitzer (17-25, 13-25, 5-25).
 
Occidental 3, Skidmore 1

• The Thoroughbreds extended the match to a fourth set thanks to a 6-0 scoring run that extended the set lead to 20-13. Occidental made it interesting with five in a row
• Before four straight errors gave Skidmore set point. The Tigers got to within two on a quick 4-0 run before a Rudi Reyes kill for Skidmore sent it to the fourth.
• Skidmore also led in the first set. The Thoroughbreds scored seven out of the first eight points of the match and, after some back-and-forth, got to set point. Occidental charged back with three points in a row to snatch the set.
• Occidental closed the second stanza on a 13-1 run.
• Occidental got off to a commanding lead in the fourth set before the Thoroughbreds inched back and got to as close as two. Occidental closed out the four-set win by scoring the match's final three points.
• Reyes led Skidmore with six kills. Angie Mozrall and Jazlin Chen both had four. Mozrall and Chen both each also finished with three blocks.
• Emma Ferrigno had a team high 10 assists.
• Madison Manning had 13 digs, Tiffany Flores had 10, and Athena Braverman finished with nine.
• Ariana Carranza led Occidental with 16 kills and 12 digs.

 
Pomona-Pitzer 3, Skidmore 0

• Skidmore hung around in the first set with the hosts. The Thoroughbreds trailed by just one, 17-16, when the Sagehens rattles off eight out of the final nine points of the set to close it out.
• Pomona-Pitzer rolled off 11 in a row for separation in the second.
• Natalie Pedersen was Skidmore's leader with five kills. She had nine kills on the day to lead the team.
• Cationa Hoelperl had six assists and an ace.
• Manning also had an ace to go along with a team high four digs and three kills.

 
NEXT UP: Skidmore will go to La Verne on Saturday for matches against Whittier (12:30 p.m.) and host La Verne (3 p.m.).