LOS ANGELES (Oct. 11, 2022) – In the wake of a difficult week and with a nearly-full roster, Caltech Volleyball returned to form Tuesday night against their nearest SCIAC rival Occidental College in front of a calm but sizable crowd at Rush Gymnasium.

Caltech opened the match with a 7-1 run, drawing an early timeout by the hosts, but the Tigers responded with an 8-1 run of their own to take a one-point lead. The set remained tight with ties at 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 points before Oxy pulled ahead 20-17. The Beavers tied it back up at 21 thanks to clutch kills by Alexis Herfurth and Sophia Parker, and an assisted block by Parker and Gabriella Twombly. After conceding the next two points, Caltech ultimately won the set 25-23 on an expertly placed spike by Marissa Till.

The Tigers served to open the second set and quickly built up a 5-1 lead before Caltech found their stride, earning a 9-7 lead on an emphatic solo block by Herfurth. The Beavers then built up and protected a six-point lead a few times, and Oxy called their second timeout of the set once Caltech led 20-14.  Oxy reclaimed the momentum and pulled within one point at 23-22, but Claire Perhach sealed the second set with her quick reflexes, negating Oxy's block of her own attack with a little chip shot that landed just beyond the reach of the Tigers.

With a 2-0 match lead, Caltech had all the momentum heading into the third set, racing ahead to a 13-4 lead that later ballooned to 21-10 by virtue of more accurate attacking and resilient blocking up front. The home team clawed back with a 7-2 run to draw a Caltech timeout at 23-17, and on the third match point, Parker's blast deflected off Oxy's blockers and high over the back row players to seal the match sweep as well as the season sweep against the Tigers.

"It felt great to get that win after dealing with some adversity last week," Head Coach Tom Gardner said after the match. He highlighted Twombly's team-high 11 points and six block assists, setter Halle Blend's match-high 30 assists, and the 15 digs each from Blend and libero Angel Wang as keys to the victory.

The Beavers will host University of La Verne in Braun Gymnasium on Friday at 7 p.m. Watch live at https://sciacnetwork.com/caltech