Athenas Claim Sixth Straight with Sweep of Bulldogs

REDLANDS, Calif. - The No. 8 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's volleyball team moved to 15-5 on the season and 8-1 in the SCIAC with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-11, 25-17) victory over the Redlands Bulldogs on Tuesday night. The Athenas swung at a blistering .371 clip in the match, including a .591 mark in the second set alone.

Tuesday's match was the sixth-straight victory for the Athenas and the second over the Bulldogs in the last five days. In addition to Tuesday's victory, CMS topped Redlands 3-0 (25-14, 25-23, 25-19) last Thursday in Roberts Pavilion.

Set one opened with the two sides trading points until the Athenas separated themselves from the Bulldogs with an 8-1 run midway through the game. With the scored tied 9-9 an attack error by Savannah Casey started a quick four-point run for CMS. After the Bulldogs won a point, the Athenas rattled off four more poitns thanks, in part, to three errors from Redlands. After the two quick bursts, the Athenas led 17-10.

Emily Marty ended the run with a kill, but Margot Mafra Spencer (SC) collected kills on the next two points to keep the momentum with CMS. When it was all said and done, the Athenas finished the first set on 16-4 run to take the game 25-13.

After switching sides, the Athenas picked up right where they left off with the first six points in the second set. The Bulldogs battled back and closed the gap to as few as three at 8-5, but a 10-2 streak for CMS ballooned the lead to 11 points. The Athenas continued to grow their lead, eventually winning the set by a 25-11 mark. Mikena Werner (SC) closed out the set with two straight service aces. In the second set, the Athenas did not have a single attacking error, collecting 13 kills on 22 attempts for an outstanding .591 hitting percentage.

Heading to the third set with a 2-0 lead, the Athenas were looking for their 11th sweep of the season. They would find it with a 25-17 victory in the last set to win the match 3-0 (25-13, 25-11, 25-17). Much like the opening set, the third game was close early before CMS pulled away late. leading just 10-9, the Athenas used a 6-1 run to bump the lead up to six at 16-10. Margaux Arntson (CMC), Amanda Walker (SC), and Crystal Anderson (CMC) fueled the run, each collecting a kill.

Following the 6-1 streak, the lead never dropped below five for the Athenas and CMS claimed the set 25-17 and the match 3-0.

As mentioned, the Athenas swung at a .371 clip in the match. Over .140 better than their mark of .230 hitting percentage on the season. Crystal Anderson (12 kills, .524 hitting percentage) and Margaux Arntson (11 kills, .450 hitting percentage) led the Athenas attack while Phoebe Madsen (CMC) collected a double-double with 17 assists and 17 digs in the victory.

The 15-5 Athenas will put their six-match win streak on the line this Friday when they host Caltech at 7:00 p.m. in Roberts Pavilion. CMS topped the Beavers earlier this season 3-0 (25-7, 25-15, 25-13) on Sept. 16, 2017.