On Saturday, Nov. 16, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) faced a tough loss in the SCIAC final to La Verne University, but celebrated senior libero Dede Carranza CM ’25 as she reached 2121 career digs, tying the CMS all-time record. Their win automatically sent La Verne to the NCAA Division III Tournament while CMS received an at-large bid on Nov. 18 to play for the national title.
CMS entered the tournament ranked No. 1 in the SCIAC, having only lost to La Verne and Pomona-Pitzer (P-P), helping them finish with a conference record of 14–2. The La Verne Leopards closely tailed the Athenas, ranked No. 2 with a 13–3 record which included a loss to CMS on Friday, Nov. 1.
According to Mia Urosevic CM ’28, the Athenas entered the at-home faceoff with high energy.
“We spent all week preparing for the match,” Urosevic said. “And when it finally came, we were all just very excited, and so thankful to be able to play on our home court.”
The match was close from the first set, as La Verne scraped together a 25-23 win despite the Athenas leading the match in kills 19-15.
The Athenas came out strong in the second set, leading the Leopards 18–12. However, an eight-point run by La Verne, featuring three kills and two blocks, put the Leopards in front. A kill by Shae Delany CM ’27 temporarily halted their opponents’ momentum, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Leopards from another set win, at 25–20 this time around.
Even while down, the Athenas remained positive and high energy, according to Brenna Bell CM ’25.
“The energy was never super low,” Bell said. “We knew it was all in the details. Positivity was maintained by the bench really well. I felt very supported every time I subbed out.”
After La Verne went ahead 10–3 early in the third set, the Athenas channeled this energy, fighting their way back into the game. Help from Delany, Bell and Brooke McKee CM ’26 brought the Athenas within three points of the Leopards at 16–19.
The Athenas fought to keep the Leopards from a win, with blocks from Georgia McGovern CM ’24 and digs from Ashley Murashige SC ’25 and Carranza, but team efforts and multiple kills from La Verne junior Mya Ray — who was named tournament MVP — eventually helped the Leopards prevail.
“[The Leopards] were playing really good defense,” Hayden Lin CM ’28 said. “[They] were able to convert those digs into kills efficiently.”
Though they did not achieve the outcome they had hoped for, the Athenas had some statistical wins in the match. McKee tied Ray for match-high honors with 17 kills, and Carranza got her name in the CMS record book. Notching 26 digs against La Verne, Carranza matched Megan Coleman CMC ’14 at 2121 digs to top the CMS rankings.
On Monday, CMS received an at-large bid for the NCAA DIII Tournament and played Transylvania University on Thursday, beating them out in a five-set victory. As the Athenas seek a shot at redemption after falling in the semifinals of last year’s tournament, they look to face Emory College in the second round on Friday.
Facebook Comments