CMS Volleyball Takes Three-Set Road Sweep at Redlands

REDLANDS, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps volleyball team prevailed in tight battles in the first and third sets, sandwiched around a runaway win in the second set, to take a 3-0 road win over Redlands on Friday evening.

Set scores were 25-22, 25-13, 25-23 as the Athenas improve to 19-3 overall and 10-1 in the SCIAC, beginning a busy closing stretch of six matches in nine days to end the regular season. Redlands falls to 11-13 overall and 2-11 in the SCIAC with the loss. 

Junior Phoebe Madsen had a solid all-around effort with 22 assists, 11 digs and eight kills in 19 attempts, including the winning kill at 24-23 in the third set to finish off the victory. Sophomore Lucila Grinspan (pictured) had six kills in 11 attempts and added 10 digs, while junior Amanda Walker matched Madsen for team-high honors with eight kills. 

The first set was tied 17-17 before CMS used a 4-0 run, including an ace from junior Lina Aluzri and a block from Walker and sophomore Regan Dinovitz to pull ahead 21-17. Redlands used a 3-0 run to close to within 23-22 and threaten to come back, but sophomore Linden Conrad had a kill to create set point, and freshman Jackie Jones finished it off with a kill for a 25-22 win. 

The second set saw the Athenas build a 9-4 lead early and maintain the five-point margin at 18-13, before rattling off the final seven points in a row to take a 25-13 win. Madsen got the rally started with a kill and an ace, and freshman Melanie Williams and Grinspan finished off the run with kills. 

Redlands appeared to be on its way to forcing the match to a fourth set, leading 17-9 in the third, before the Athenas dug down and battled back in it. With the score 18-11, sophomore Lauren Widasky started a 6-0 run with a kill, which was capped off by back-to-back kills from Walker to pull within 18-17. Redlands bounced back for the next two points for a 20-17 lead, but an Aluzri ace and a Dinovitz/Walker block tied it at 20-20.  

Walker and sophomore Margot Mafra Spencer had two straight kills to put the Athenas ahead 23-21, but the Bulldogs came back with the next two points to tie it again. Mafra Spencer and Walker, though, answered with a key block and Madsen finished off the match with a kill. 

CMS returns home tomorrow to face Caltech for a 4 p.m. match at Roberts Pavilion, the first of three sets of back-to-back matches it plays over the last week. The Athenas also face Occidental at home and Pomona-Pitzer away on Tuesday-Wednesday, and then close out with Whittier at home and Chapman away on Friday-Saturday before participating in the SCIAC Tournament. If CMS can maintain its lead over the field (currently two games in the loss column over Chapman and Pomona-Pitzer) it will host the conference semifinals and finals (if it advances) on Thursday and Saturday Nov. 1-3.