It had been more than 10 years since Claremont-Mudd-Scripps last defeated La Verne, but the Athenas wiped out more than a decade of futility in earning a three-set victory over Leopards by scores of 25-16, 25-16, 25-21 Friday night at Frantz Athletic Court.
La Verne (11-8, 2-4 SCIAC) struggled offensively, hitting .111 compared to a .295 percentage by the visitors.
In the first set, the two teams were deadlocked 14-14 until CMS reeled off five consecutive points to take a 19-14 advantage. From there, the Athenas claimed six of the next points including the final four, culminating on a kill from Taylor Jones to prevail 25-16 to take a 1-0 set lead.
CMS (15-5, 6-3 SCIAC) seized control midway through the second stanza. Leading 9-8, the Athenas embarked on a 8-0 run to grab a commanding 17-8 lead. Up 21-16, CMS closed with a 4-0 run to take the second set 25-16 to lead two sets to none. The Athenas enjoyed their best hitting effort in the second stanza by collecting 13 kills en route to a .414 hitting clip.
La Verne was subdued by another CMS spurt early in the third set, as the Athenas broke an 8-8 tie by scoring five of the next six points to grab a 13-9 advantage. A kill from Anna Calmer pulled the Leopards within two at 20-18, but CMS would stretch the margin to 23-19. Up 24-21, Leanne Rindquist ended the match with a kill to give the Athenas a three-set victory.
Emily Hudson tallied a match-high 12 kills while teammate Bennett Jones added 9 for the Athenas. Calmer paced the Leos while Randi Taylor-Toomay added 8 kills. Chelsea Sleight collected a match-high 18 digs.
The Leopards continue SCIAC action next Tuesday as it travels to Redlands for a 7:30 pm start.