Five Athenas earn All-SCIAC volleyball honors
PASADENA, Calif. – The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps volleyball team landed five players on the First and Second All-Conference Teams in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) as announced on Nov. 3. Junior outside hitter Nicole Kerkhof (CMC) and sophomore libero Mikena Werner (SCR) earned First Team honors while sophomore middle blocker Mariah Rigg (CMC), sophomore opposite Margaux Arntson (CMC) and sophomore setter Clara Madsen (CMC) were Second Team picks.
The Athenas put up a 24 win regular season, are currently ranked No. 9 nationally by the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and are gearing up for the SCIAC Postseason Tournament. In the 2015 season, CMS earned the programs' third SCIAC regular season title and the first since 1993 as co-champions with Cal Lutheran (14-2 SCIAC). On Thursday, Nov. 5, CMS takes on La Verne (20-7, 13-3 SCIAC) in a semi-final match in the seventh annual SCIAC Postseason Tournament, hosted by Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Kerkhof leads CMS in kills with 158 and averages 3.10 per set during SCIAC play, landing her at No. 6 in the conference. Kerkhof is also in the top-5 for digs, averaging 4.10 per set. This is Kerkhof's third All-SCIAC honor in as many years earning Newcomer of the Year in 2013 and Second Team honors in 2014.
Werner earns her first All-SCIAC honor as the Athenas' steady libero in the 2015 regular season. She leads the team and is second in SCIAC with 4.76 digs per set. In conference play, her single game high was 33 digs in the five-set win against Cal Lutheran on Oct. 23.
Rigg and Arntson earn their second consecutive All-SCIAC honor as sophomores this year. In 2014, Rigg was named the Newcomer of the Year and Arntson made the Second Team. They both sit at No. 3 and No. 4 in hitting percentage in SCIAC with .360 and .335 respectively. Rigg also landed in the top-10 in SCIAC averaging 0.90 blocks per set after leading the Athenas with 44 total blocks on the year.
As part of CMS' setting duo, Madsen earns her first All-SCIAC award. She led CMS with 355 assists (6.70 per set) and 29 service aces during conference play. The aces placed her at No. 2 in SCIAC.
By Emily Nordhoff
Sports Information Director
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