THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - The Semifinal matches at the 2015 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Women's Volleyball Tournament were fairly anticlimactic tonight at the Gilbert Arena on the campus of Cal Lutheran where American Volleyball Coaches Association No. 9 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps defeated No. 20 La Verne 3-0 before No. 8 Cal Lutheran had the same outcome against Whittier to advance to Championships Saturday.

Semifinal One - Claremont-Mudd-Scripps def. La Verne 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-13)
Déjà vu from 2014, CMS took down La Verne in straight sets to start the 2015 SCIAC Postseason Tournament.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (25-5) produced a .320 hitting percentage tonight with a match-high 15 kills from Nicole Kerkhof and 13 from Crystal Anderson on 27 assists from Clara Madsen and 12 from Tanner Hoke while Kerkhof and Madsen each notched double-doubles by adding a match-best 18 digs and 10 digs, respectively.

La Verne (20-8) hit a measly .067 as a unit with its best set coming in the second. None of the Leopards earned double figure kills as Cassie Thompson paced the squad with six. Team leader Brittany Yaxley was limited to just three kills, which all came in the first game. Tiffany Mancuso handed out 20 assists and Kristen Sanchez led the defensive unit with 11 digs. The team combined for 13 total blocks including five block assists from Thompson.

CMS opened a 3-0 advantage and never trailed during the opening game. At 5-1, La Verne burned a timeout, but the Athenas continued to build on their lead until the Leopards clawed back to a 14-14 tie. CMS quickly regained control and maintained the momentum to a 25-20 first set win. Andersonwent 4-for-5 for the Athenas and Kerkhoffinished with six kills, one less than the entire La Verne team. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps continued to execute while LV warmed into a groove. The Leos reeled off four straight points to pull within one at 8-7 before knotting things at 9-9 and 10-10 during a 9-2 run. The first lead of the night for La Verne came at 11-10 and the squads would remain close until CMS got the upper hand 17-16 on another Anderson kill. CMS closed out the set 8-2 for a 25-18 win and a commanding 2-0 set lead. The designated host team and second-seeded Athenas started the third game with a kill from Kerkhof and the Maroon and Gold built a 10-4 lead. CMS steadily increased its lead, cruising to the 25-13 set and match victory.

Semifinal Two - Cal Lutheran def. Whittier 3-0 (25-23, 25-13, 25-21)
The third meeting of the season between CLU and WC was similar to the first two with the Regals finishing on top, but not without facing some adversity. Whittier held leads in each set, forcing the Violet and Gold to dig deep. They did just that, earning a 25-23, 25-13, 25-21 victory to advance to the SCIAC PST Championships match on Saturday night.

Cal Lutheran (25-4) looked to seniors Allie Eason and Pua Mo'okini-Oliveira for 12 and 11 kills, respectively, to lead the way as the Regals hit at a .227 clip. Jamie Smith handed out 42 assists and added a pair of service aces and kills, going 2-for-3 without an error, to aid the offense. Defensively, Amanda Roberts tallied 16 digs for a match-high, followed by 10 apiece from Eason and Nicki Tetherow. Sarah Pappas was credited with the lone solo block and Monica Lundgren totaled four block assists on a night when CLU combined for 10.

Whittier (19-10) saw its season come to a close tonight after hitting .132 as a team. SCIAC kills leader Rebecca Slattery shared the match-high with 12 as the only WC player in double figures. Torrey Mitsunaga recorded 15 assists and the Poets put down three aces. Casie Lowden was the lone WC player to reach double digits for digs with 11 and the team finished with four block assists.

The visiting team took an early 3-0 lead to start the match, but the tenacious Regals gritted down, evening the score at 4-4. After exchanging a number of points, it was a Pappaskill that changed the tides. CLU used a 5-1 run to take a 15-11 advantage, forcing WC to burn a timeout. After the break, the Poets put up the first point and after a second TO they continued to threaten. Knotted at 22-22, the Regals used a timeout of their own. Two points later, the scoreboard read 23-23, but Eason notched a kill followed by a dump from Smith on a long rally that put the game in the books at 25-23. Similarly to the first set, WC took a quick lead, but CLU promptly powered back past the Poets with a 5-0 run and controlled the momentum for the remainder of the game as the Regals stole the second 25-13 with contributions from numerous players. Again, Cal Lutheran was forced to overcome an early deficit and Eason and Lundgren each provided timey points and endless energy. CLU closed out the night with a 25-21 win.

On Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Cal Lutheran and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps will play for the SCIAC PST title. The tournament champion will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament. Regional play is set for Nov. 13-15 at sites yet to be determined with the NCAA Division III National Championships scheduled at the between Nov. 20-22 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Video streaming (for a fee) and live stats will both be available for the championship match.

Tickets and t-shirts will be sold in the lobby of the Gilbert Arena. Children under the age of 12, current students, faculty and staff with ID receive free admittance. Admission for all others is $5 per day. T-shirts are priced at $15 (short sleeves) and $20 (long sleeves). Doors will open at 5:00 p.m.

Tournament Website: 2015 SCIAC WVB PST
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