The Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) women’s volleyball team faced an extraordinarily special senior night, beating rivals Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) for the first time since 2013 on Friday, Nov. 8.
While monumental, the game did not hold much ranking weight. CMS, who went 20-5 overall and 14-1 in SCIAC, already having clinched the SCIAC title, and P-P, who went 17-10 overall and 10-5 in SCIAC, had taken the No. 4 seed in conference.
The night began tense as the Sagehens sought to avenge their earlier 3-0 defeat to CMS on Sep. 27, which they succeeded in doing thrillingly, besting the Athenas in five sets.
The first set was a back-and-forth affair, with CMS taking an early 11-7 lead behind five assists from Georgia McGovern CM ’24. P-P fought back, and three straight kills from Samantha Grabb PO ’27, Chloe Gill PO ’25 and Kellan Hayes PO ’25 allowed the Sagehens to cut the deficit to one point at 14-13.
However, the experienced Athenas regained control of the set, winning five straight points to increase the lead to 18-13. The Sagehens came within three points, but the Athenas eventually won 25-21.
While the Hens found themselves down on the scoreboard, they showed no signs of backing down. According to setter Jenny Jenks CGU ’25, it was their mentality that helped them to triumph in the match.
“Everyone played stellar, and we treated every point like it was our last and it worked out in our favor,” Jenks said. “Our next-play-focused mentality has increased exponentially, and our relentlessness on every single point.”
P-P came out strong in the second set, roaring to a 10-3 lead behind multiple kills from Hayes and Gill. Extraordinary as their start was, the Sagehens soon found their lead threatened with the Athenas finding a 20-19 lead after five and six-point runs. Faced with the possibility of going down two sets, P-P responded and three kills from Paige Mountanos PO ’26 were enough to put the Sagehens over the line, evening the game with a 25-23 victory.
The Sagehens found yet another early lead in the third set, up 10-7 behind three kills from Gill and a pair from Grabb. Though the Sagehens extended their lead to 18-15, a four-point rally from the Athenas put them behind again. Kills from Mountanos, Grabb and Charlotte Sekerka PO ’27 would not be enough to topple CMS, who won the set 25-23 and took a 2-1 overall lead.
With CMS one set away from stealing the win, the Sagehens entered the fourth set with renewed energy. A seven-point run, capped off by more kills from Gill, Mountanos and Grabb saw the Sagehens take control and run away with the set 25-12.
According to Gill, the Sagehens’ refusal to quit came from a massive team effort and consistent levels of energy.
“I think all of our hard work really paid off,” Gill said. “We had a lot of energy, and a big thing that we worked on is momentum and I feel like we really applied that, and I’m really proud of everyone.”
After the massive set four victory, P-P came into the decisive set with all the momentum. This set also marked the first time the two opponents took a game to five sets since 2009.
P-P came out hot, taking a 10-2 lead; however, the experienced Athenas –– who made it to the Final Four last NCAA tournament and are ranked No. 15 nationally –– refused to go down without a fight. They closed the gap with a five-point rally, tying the game at 12-12. CMS took the lead shortly thereafter and came within two points of winning the game at 15-14.
But P-P still had one last trick up their sleeve. A kill from Mountanos and two CMS attack errors were all the Sagehens needed to secure the historic victory.
For Kylie Mies PO ’25, everything seemed to come together at the right time for the Hens.
“Highlight of the season just happened right now, that was electric on senior night,” Mies said. “We had the fire, we had the grit, and we had the love.”
Following the match, seniors Hayes and Gill — who set program records for career blocks and kills, respectively — reflected on the special night and year for the Sagehens. Hayes described the team’s connection as their “greatest strength,” with Gill noting the tight-knit team environment as key to their success.
“This team means so so much to me, and I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the team,” Gill said. “It starts from when I was a freshman, and being able to be a part of such an amazing culture means the world to me.”
After beating Chapman in the first round of the SCIAC tournament, P-P could not create the senior night magic, as CMS swept them in three sets to advance to the finals of the tournament. CMS will now face La Verne in the SCIAC tournament finals, with a trip to the national tournament in the balance.
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