CMS Volleyball Stretches SCIAC Win Streak to 50, Rolls to 3-0 Win over Chapman

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Jenna Holmes had 14 kills in 25 attempts as the No. 5-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's volleyball team rolled to a quick 25-14, 25-8, 25-11 win over Chapman on Friday evening in its SCIAC opener at Roberts Pavilion.

With the win, CMS moves to 7-3 on the season and stretches its winning streak in SCIAC-sponsored matches to 50. Since falling in the regular season to Chapman in 2019, the Athenas have won 44 straight SCIAC matches, and six straight SCIAC Postseason Tournament matches. The Panthers slip to 4-6 on the season with the loss. 

The CMS middles were dominant, as Kelsey Polhemus was 7-for-11 with no errors, hitting .636, and Audrey Sawyer was 5-for-7 with no errors to hit at a .714 clip. Middle Solvej Eversoll also added her first career kill in two attempts, as the three middles combined for 13 kills in 20 tries with no errors (.650). Holmes hit .480 on the day with 14 kills and two errors in her 25 attempts, while Brooke McKee added eight kills in 15 attempts with two errors, hitting .400.  

Georgia McGovern had 34 assists to lead an offense that hit .420 as a team, getting progressively better as the match went on. CMS hit .320 in the first set as a team (12-4-25), then hit .424 in the second set (15-1-33) and did not have an error in the third set, hitting .500 (15-0-30). The Athenas also added 17 service aces, including six from McGovern and four from Dede Carranza, and the first career aces from Samantha Riter and Shelby McIlroy.  

CMS used an 8-0 run in the first set to turn a 2-2 tie into a 10-2 lead, and then duplicated that feat at the start of the second and third sets to jump out to 8-0 leads in both. Maxine Matheson-Lieber provided the kill for match point to sew up the 25-11 win in the third.

CMS will be back in action tomorrow when it travels to Occidental for a 2 p.m. contest.