CLAREMONT, CA. (OCT. 10, 2023)- The women hit the road Saturday to take on the #6 ranked CMS Athenas in a SCIAC battle. The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps have not lost a single set this year in conference play, but Whittier was not ready to back down to anyone. The Poets fought hard in every set and gave the Athenas a run for their money the first, but unfortunately they were not able to put it all together and would lose 3 sets to 0.
In the first set the girls came out to play. Back and forth, both teams continued to battle but neither would gain the edge over the other. Then with the score tied at 5, the Poets went on a huge run, led by Mia D'Amato (Bakersfield, Calif., Garces HS), to take a 9-5 lead over the reigning SCIAC champions. The girls continued to play well this first set and held leads throughout, but eventually CMS turned it up and recaptured a 22-19 lead over Whittier. The Poets continued to battle though and would come back to tie it at 24 to force extra points to be played, but in the end the Athenas would hold on to win this set 29-27.
After a hard-fought first set, CMS came out and asserted their dominance early in the second. The momentum of winning the first set had carried over for them and they looked to have a step up on the Poets. Whittier did not get anything going this set and would drop it 25-14.
The third set turned out to be a lot more similar to the first set than the second. Whittier came out ready to fight and stuck with CMS through any move they made. One team would make a run and the other would respond with a run of their own. However, the Athenas would make the final run and secure a 25-21 victory over the Poets.
Whittier battled hard against a top-ranked team in the nation, but would eventually lose it 3 sets to zero. D'Amato had an excellent game coming away with 9 kills, 2 blocks, a .381 hitting percentage, and a service ace. Despite the outcome, the Poets continued their excellent play we have been witnessing over the last two weeks. They will look to get back on track on Tuesday (Oct. 10) when they play host to the University of Redlands. The Poets and Bulldogs will be battling in the Graham Athletic Center at Whittier College at 7:00.
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