CMS Volleyball Hits Midway Point of SCIAC at 8-0 with Sweep of Caltech

PASADENA, Calif. – Brooke McKee had 10 kills to lead a balanced offense as the No. 6-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's volleyball took a straight-set win over Caltech on Tuesday evening.

Set scores were 25-20, 25-14, 25-10 as CMS moves to 14-3 on the year and 8-0 in SCIAC, completing the first half of the conference schedule without dropping a set. CMS has now won 51 straight SCIAC matches dating back to 2019 (57 including the conference tournament), and has dropped only one conference set in the last two years.

McKee had her 10 kills in only 14 attempts, while Brenna Bell also had nine kills in 14 attempts without an error. Jenna Holmes had eight kills, while Audrey Sawyer and Lauren Parker each had even.   

The first set was tied 10-10 early, before CMS opened up some separation with a 5-0 run. Parker had two kills and a block during the stretch. Caltech got back within 16-14, but two straight Bell kills started a 4-0 run that restored a comfortable lead and the Athenas were able to take the opening set 25-20 on a Holmes kill.

In the second set, CMS jumped out to an 8-1 lead to force a quick Caltech timeout, as Parker, Bell and Holmes each had two kills to jump-start the Athenas. CMS built a 20-8 lead on a  McKee kill, and then finished it off 25-14 on a Sawyer kill.

In the third set, CMS again forced Caltech into a quick timeout after a Sawyer block put the Athenas ahead 9-3. Two straight service aces from Anna Ryan forced another Beaver timeout at 14-5, and Holmes and Solvej Eversoll combined on a pair of blocks to help stretch the lead to 21-6. Parker finished off the match off with her ninth kill, matching her career high.

Dede Carranza led the defensive effort with 14 digs, while Sawyer and Holmes each had four blocks and Parker chipped in with three.

CMS is back in action after a 10-day break in its schedule next Friday at Redlands, before returning home the following day to face Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 4 p.m.