CMS Women's Water Polo Wins Tenth Straight SCIAC Contest, Defeats Whittier 19-4

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Grace Clark had four goals and Mia Adsen and Olivia Cairns each added three as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's water polo team earned a 19-4 win over Whittier on Wednesday evening at Axelrood Pool.

With the win, CMS improves to 18-8 overall and 10-1 in the SCIAC, earning its tenth league win in a row since an overtime defeat to Pomona-Pitzer in its conference opener. The two teams will meet again in the regular season finale on Saturday at Pomona-Pitzer, with the Athenas earning a chance to tie for the regular season title with a win. 

Isabel Del Villar, Valerie Wraith and Cooper McKenna each added two goals for CMS, while Dara Schoolcraft and Elise Power each had one.

Natalie Stearns had six first-half saves and nearly exited at halftime with a shutout in tact, but Whittier scored on a rebound goal on its final possession of the half with 18 sedconds left to make it an 11-1 game at the break. 
 
CMS took a 4-0 lead after the first quarter on goals from Adsen, Wraith, Del Villar and Cairns, with Cairns starting the second quarter with another one to make it 5-0. Clark scored twice in the second quarter and then started the second half with two more and send the Athenas on their way to the double-digit win.

CMS and Pomona-Pitzer will meet for the regular season title on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Haldeman Pool, with the Sagehens coming in at 11-0 in league play.

The two teams could meet again in the SCIAC Championship next week, after both teams play at home on Friday in the semifinals, and potentially for a third big meeting in three weeks at the USA Water Polo Division III Championship on May 4-5.