CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Cal Lutheran women's volleyball team battled throughout Tuesday night's matchup at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, but couldn't overcome the Athenas' dominant blocking performance, falling 3-1 (25-22, 25-20, 20-25, 25-13) at Roberts Pavilion.
The Regals (12-8, 7-2 SCIAC) finished with 48 kills but hit a season-low .080 as CMS (11-8, 6-3 SCIAC) recorded 22 blocks to disrupt the Cal Lutheran attack. The Athenas finished with a .221 hitting percentage and held advantages in kills (53-48) and digs (75-66).
Reese Balagot led the Regals with 11 kills while
Kaylee Clayton added 10 kills and a team-high three service aces off the bench.
Tarin Rueckert and
Aby Tibesar each contributed five block assists, and
Keegan Corley led all players with 27 digs.
Kimmy Wilson dished out a team-high 21 assists.
Cal Lutheran opened the match with an early response after CMS scored the first three points. The Regals used a 6-2 run to take the lead, with Rueckert contributing two kills and two blocks during the stretch. The teams traded points through the middle of the set before the Athenas pulled ahead with a 5-1 run, turning an 18-17 Cal Lutheran advantage into a 22-19 deficit. The Regals fought to within two at set point, but CMS secured the final point for a 25-22 win.
The second set remained tight early, with neither team leading by more than three points through the first half. With CMS holding a narrow 13-12 advantage, the Athenas rattled off six consecutive points to take control. Cal Lutheran continued to fight back, as Balagot recorded a kill and Clayton followed with back-to-back service aces. Alvarez added a kill before Tibesar teamed up with Balagot and Alvarez for two consecutive blocks, bringing the Regals within three at 22-19. However, CMS regrouped during a timeout and scored the final three points to take the set 25-20.
The Regals responded with their strongest stretch of the night in the third set. Balagot opened the scoring with a kill, followed by another from Clayton and a service ace from Rueckert. CMS answered with a seven-point run, but Cal Lutheran refused to back down. The Regals mounted a five-point run to even the score at 13-13, fueled by contributions from Clayton, Balagot and Rueckert. Cal Lutheran maintained its momentum from there, closing the set on a 6-1 run highlighted by three kills from Clayton, including the set-winner, to take a 25-20 victory and extend the match.
CMS found another gear in the fourth set, building a 16-7 lead as its blocking continued to challenge the Regals' offense. Cal Lutheran chipped away with six points of its own, but the Athenas responded with five consecutive points to close out the set 25-13 and secure the match.
Despite the setback, Cal Lutheran remains second in the SCIAC standings at 7-2, behind Whittier (8-1). La Verne and CMS are tied for third at 6-3, keeping the conference race wide open as the regular season continues.
The Regals return home Saturday, October 24, for Senior Night against Caltech at 4 p.m. inside Gilbert Arena. Before the match, Cal Lutheran will honor seniors
Franki Coleman,
Aby Tibesar,
Tarin Rueckert,
Keegan Corley,
Makenna Kawamura and
Gianna Bava. The Regals will look to bounce back in front of their home crowd as they celebrate their graduating seniors.
