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Dramatic Comeback Gives CMS Volleyball 3-2 Win over Carthage, Opening Day Split

Dramatic Comeback Gives CMS Volleyball 3-2 Win over Carthage, Opening Day Split

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Junior setter Phoebe Madsen had 13 kills, 38 assists and 15 digs to lead the No. 1 ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's volleyball team back from a 2-0 deficit for a 3-2 win over No. 14 Carthage in its second match of the day on Friday evening at Roberts Pavilion on the first day of the Pacific Coast Classic (24-26, 23-25, 25-23, 25-16, 15-9).

It was the second five-setter of the day for the Athenas, who also fell 3-2 to No. 6 Johnson and Wales in its season opener on Friday afternoon, snapping a 22-match win streak which ended with last year's national championship win. 

Amanda Walker and Melanie Moore each added a team-high 15 kills for CMS, while Sarah Trischler placed the defense with 26 digs, her second straight match over 20. 

Carthage took a pair of narrow wins in the first two sets, 26-24 in the first and 25-23 in the second, for its 2-0 lead. The Athenas had to battle to stay in the match, falling behind 18-14 in the third before coming back to tie it at 21-21 on a Madsen kill. Madsen added another kill to break a 23-23 tie, and a Carthage attack error pulled CMS within 2-1. 

With the momentum on its side, the Athenas roared out to an 11-5 lead in the fourth set, and then used a 7-0 run to turn a 16-12 lead into a commanding 23-12 advantage, with Trischler picking up an ace on her serve during the run and Moore picking up a pair of kills. Madsen finished off a 25-16 win with a kill to pull the Athenas even. 

Carthage regrouped and held a 7-4 lead midway through the fifth set, but the Athenas then shifted into overdrive, scoring seven straight points, capped off by killd from Jackie Jones and Moore off assists from Jessica Lee. Carthage got back within 13-9, but an attack error set up match point, and Walker finished it off with her 15th kill. 

Walker also had 20 kills in the first match of the day against Johnson and Wales, but it wasn't quite enough as the Athenas fell in five. Margot Mafra Spencer also had 14 kills, while Madsen had 39 assists and six aces, and Trischler had 23 digs. The match started out auspiciously, with CMS jumping out to a 10 lead, behind three Madsen aces. After winning the opening set 25-19, CMS fell 25-22 in the second, but came back from eight points down (16-8) to win the third set 25-23. 

Johnson & Wales, though, controlled the fourth set 25-10, hitting .471 as a team without an error, and carried that momentum into the fifth for a 15-6 win and a 3-2 victory in the match.  

CMS will finish out the tournament tomorrow when it hosts Brandeis at 9:30 a.m. and No. 9 Southwestern (Texas) at 4:30 p.m. at Roberts Pavilion.