Top-Ranked CMS Volleyball Fights off Two Set Points for 11th Straight SCIAC Sweep

ORANGE, Calif. – The top-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps volleyball team had to fight off two set points to avoid its first set defeat in SCIAC play this season, but came through and was able to capture its 11th conference sweep in 11 matches with a 25-16, 27-25, 25-16 win over Chapman on Tuesday evening at the Hutton Sports Center.

Izzy Sakoda had a double-double for the Athenas with 10 kills and 17 digs, and Lauren Parker had nine kills in 17 attempts without an error, hitting .529, while adding five blocks. With the win, CMS remains perfect on the season at 21-0, while extending its SCIAC winning streak to 38 matches (42 including the tournament). Chapman, which handed CMS its last league loss in 2019 at the Hutton Sports Center, slips to 6-13 overall and 4-8 in SCIAC.

The Athenas started out a bit slow, but quickly regrouped to win the first set 25-16. Chapman broke out to a 9-3 lead, and bounced back from a brief 3-0 CMS run to go ahead 11-6. However, the Athenas then went on a more extended 10-1 run, including three straight service aces from Georgia McGovern, to move in front 16-12.  The Panthers were still within 20-16 late, but CMS capped off the set with five straight points, with Sakoda contributing two kills and Brenna Bell adding a kill and a block.

Chapman again got the upper hand early in the second set, taking several three-point leads and taking its largest advantage at four points at 15-11. The Athenas were able to respond with four consecutive kills from Sakoda, Brooke McKee, Kelsey Polhemus and McKee again to tie the score. Parker combined on blocks to give CMS leads at 20-19, 21-20 and 22-21, but Chapman was able to go in front 23-22 and again at 24-23.

McKee fought off the first set point with a kill, but Chapman earned the next point for its second chance at winning the second set and leveling the match. Bell and Polhemus, though, came through for the Athenas with a block to tie the score 25-25. Jenna Holmes earned CMS a set point with a kill, and a bad set by the Panthers gave the Athenas the 27-25 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.  

Unlike the first two sets, CMS played from in front for the entire third, jumping out to a 3-0 lead behind two Parker kills. Chapman cut it to one point on three occasions, the last at 13-12, but McKee had a kill, Spencer Hagenbuch followed with an ace, and CMS was able to pull away for the 25-16 win and the sweep. 

Dede Carranza contributed 20 digs, while Holmes just missed a double-double with eight kills and 13 digs. McGovern finished with six aces to go with her 24 assists, while Hagenbuch had 19 assists.   

CMS will be back in action on Friday night when it hosts Caltech for a 7 p.m. contest, before crossing the street to take on Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday at 4 p.m.