THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The No. 20 University of La Verne volleyball team lost to No. 9 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 25-20, 25-18, 25-13, and was eliminated from the 2015 SCIAC Postseason Tournament, hosted by Cal Lutheran, on Thursday night.

What it means: La Verne finishes the season 20-8 overall but despite the loss, La Verne stays in contention for an at-large bid to the NCAA National Championship. The Leopards are ranked seventh in the West Region and the SCIAC has sent three teams to the national tournament the past two seasons.

Selection show: The NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Selection Show will air at 8 a.m. PT on Monday, Nov. 9 on NCAA.com.

How it happened: La Verne could not get into any rhythm offensively and could not contain Claremont-Mudd-Scripps' duo of Nicole Kerkhof and Crystal Anderson who combined for 28 kills on .460 hitting.

Cassie Thompson and Destinee Sales each had six kills to lead the Leopards.

The Leopards went on a 5-0 run in the middle of the set to tie it at 14-14 but Claremont-Mudd-Scripps claimed the next three points regain the momentum and never looked back. Brittany Yaxley and Thompson combined for five kills in the set.

La Verne took a three-point lead in the second set fueled by a 9-2 run but the Athenas responded with a 4-0 run to take an 18-16 lead and held it the rest of the way.

The Athenas jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the third set and led by as many as 11 points en route to a decisive win. Sales had three kills in a 4-1 run that brought the Leopards within 11-8 but it wasn't nearly enough.

Up next: Should La Verne earn an at-large bid to the NCAA National Championship, the first round will start on Nov. 13.