No. 7 Athenas look to impact 2017 season
CLAREMONT, Calif. – The 2017 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's volleyball season is quickly approaching with the first match of the year just a week away. Starting the season ranked seventh in the nation, the Athenas will kick off 2017 by co-hosting the Pacific Coast Classic with Pomona-Pitzer and La Verne. The Athenas will be tested early. In their first four matches of the season, CMS will take on two nationally ranked teams (No. 8 Texas-Dallas and No. 17 Millikin) and two others receiving votes (SUNY Brockport and Wisconsin-Eau Claire) in the preseason poll.
See below for a full preview of the 2017 season:
A Look Back
Last season the Athenas started off the year on an 18-match winning streak, raising their national ranking to as high as No. 2 and stayed there for a majority of the season. CMS finished the year with a 23-4 overall record and a 14-2 mark in the SCIAC. The Athenas advanced to the SCIAC Final with a 3-1 victory over La Verne in the SCIAC Semifinal, but fell to Cal Lutheran in the SCIAC Final. Despite not claiming the SCIAC automatic bid from the Conference Tournament, the Athenas arrived in their fourth-straight NCAA Tournament thanks to an at-large bid. The Athenas' season came to a close when they were bounced in the First Round by Colorado College, 3-0.
Four Athenas earned All-SCIAC honors last season with senior outside-hitter Nicole Kerhof (CMC), junior opposite Shelbi Stein (CMC), and junior libero Mikena Werner (SC) named First Team. Junior setter Clara Madsen (CMC) earned a Second Team nod. Kerkhof, Stein, and Werner were also honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association by being named All-West Region. In addition to her All-SCIAC and All-Region accolades, Werner picked up the second-ever All-American honor in program history when she was named Second Team.
Thanks to a small senior class last season, the Athenas only lose Nicole Kerkhof and Natalie Creekmur (CMC) to graduation. Seven freshmen will look to add to a strong and experienced core of returners on the court for the 2017 season.
On the Court
A quick peek of the Athenas' roster shows a senior laden group with exceptional talent and experience at a number of positions. The roster features eight seniors including five that have earned All-SCIAC honors at least once in their career and four that have picked-up multiple honors during their time in Claremont. That veteran group is led by 2016 Second Team All-American, Mikena Werner. Werner led the SCIAC and finished 24th in the country with 5.76 digs per set a year ago as the Athenas' libero.
With so many pieces back from last year's team, expect the Athena's line-up to look very similar to last season. Offensively CMS is loaded with fire power, senior Crystal Anderson (CMC) is back on the outside and the duo of Shelbi Stein (CMC) and Margaux Arntson (CMC) will swing away from the opposite side. The Athenas offer a balanced attack, as all three collected at least 200 kills and 2.49 kills per set last season.
Setting up the Athenas' big hitters will be the sister tandem of sophomore Phoebe Madsen (CMC) and senior Clara Madsen (CMC). Last season, the sisters combined for 1,059 assists with older sister Clara collecting 606 to Phoebe's 453. Both sisters finished in the top ten in the SCIAC for total assists, with Clara sixth and Phoebe right on her heels in seventh.
In the middle, keep an eye on senior Mariah Rigg (CMC) and junior Hannah Grobisen (CMC) to provide a strong block for the Athenas. Rigg was in on 61 blocks a year ago and finished sixth in the SCIAC with 0.71 blocks per set, while Grobisen finished with 39 total blocks on the season.
In addition to a slew of returners, expect to see an excellent freshman class battle for time and opportunities throughout the season.
What to Watch For
As mentioned, the Athenas will waste no time jumping right into the season. Their opening weekend is chalked full of top-tier, Division III talent with No. 8 Texas-Dallas, No. 17 Millikin, SUNY Brockport, and Wisconsin-Eau Claire all either ranked nationally or receiving votes in the preseason poll.
Things do not get any easier after the opening weekend; the Athenas will take the floor against teams ranked in the Preseason Top 25 nine times during the regular season. Four of those matches will come against SCIAC foes No. 6 Cal Lutheran and No. 25 La Verne, but the Athenas will also take the floor against No. 2 Emory (Sept. 15), No. 13 Juniata (Sept. 15), and No. 14 Trinity (Texas) (Sept. 8).
CMS will wrap up the regular season on Oct. 28 with a bout against long-time rival Cal Lutheran at home at 6:00 p.m. The two have met in the SCIAC Tournament Final in each of the last four seasons.
On the Bench
Kurt Vlasich is on the bench for his seventh season at the helm of the Athena's women's volleyball program. In his first six seasons, Vlasich has put together an impressive 138-44 overall record and a 72-22 mark in the SCIAC. Flanking Vlasich is long-time assistant Morgan Coberly in his 13th season with the Athenas and second-year assistant coach Shayla Chalker.