The University of La Verne volleyball squad concluded its weekend with a 2-2 mark at the Leo Invitational tournament, posting two major wins over Clarkson University (NY) and Whitman College (Wash.).

La Verne's (3-9, 0-1 SCIAC) young squad struggled to find a rhythm in their first match of the tournament Friday when they went up against SCIAC opponent Whittier College (4-2, 2-0 SCIAC).  The Leos fell to the Poets with scores of 21-25, 16-25, 23-25.  Freshman outside hitter Jaime Kons paced the Leos hitting .235 for the match, followed by setter Tiffany Mancuso who posted 26 assists.

Later that night the Leo's rallied to the call of their boisterous fans.  Clarkson (8-4), ranked No. 24 in the AVCA Preseason Poll, fell to the Leos under the powerful performance of sophomore outside hitter Brittany Yaxley - who posted 15 kills and 9 digs.  Other key performances were seen by sophomore outside hitter Ashlyn Cross and freshman middle blocker Kelsi Robinson, both of whom tallied 9 kills apiece.  Scores for the match were 25-23, 25-22, 25-13.

The Leopards wrapped up action Saturday - again splitting the day 1-1.  The early morning 0-3 loss (17-25, 24-26, 9-24) to No. 4 Elmhurst College (9-1) was this time led by sophomore outside hitter Ashlyn Cross, who posted a .250 hitting percentage and earned 6 digs in the effort.

By evening the Leos had again found their fire, posting a three-set sweep over Whitman in a 25-23, 25-11, 25-20 verdict.  Brittany Yaxley's exceptional performance paced the Leos with 22 kills (.312 hitting percentage) and 8 digs.  Senior defensive specialist Janelle Lubong ran the defense with 13 digs and an ace on the night.

The 2-2 weekend boosts the Leopards' overall mark to 3-8 after the first three weeks of the season. 

La Verne continues SCIAC action this Tuesday when it hosts the Pomona-Pitzer (5-3, 0-0 SCIAC) Sagehens at Frantz Athletic Court at 7:30 pm.

All Tournament Team:

Clarkson: #10 Erika Chin

Elmhurst: #17 Kaitlyn Wilks

La Verne: #6 Brittany Yaxley

Whitman: #15 Shae Kanakaole

Whittier: #27 Alayna Kigo

UCSC: #6 Elena Echeverria