The University of Redlands volleyball team rallied back to defeat the visiting Athenas of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges with a gutsy performance that finally paid off in the fifth set of tonight's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match. Earlier this season, the Athenas handed the Bulldogs their first sweep defeat, providing great motivation for the Maroon and Gray to put on an emotional and hard-fought show in Currier Gym. With huge plays down the stretch, Redlands prevailed by scores of 16-25, 25-20, 20-25, 25-20, 15-13.

The opening set saw a back-and-forth battle until CMS broke it open with nine consecutive points. Plagued by errors, Redlands handed over four of the points, while the Athenas stepped up at the right times, including back-to-back kills by senior outside hitter Kendra Huff (Downey, CA), to secure the first-set victory.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second stanza, but CMS rallied to tie it at 11 all. Redlands answered with a 3-0 run, which was quickly followed by a six-point outburst, making it 20-12 with senior libero Chelsea Arcaris (Vista, CA) at the service line. The Maroon and Gray held off a late push by the Athenas, thanks in part to critical kills by freshman outside hitter Morgan Buckner (San Rafael, CA) at 23-18 and again at set point. Senior middle blocker Kirby McCord (Vista, CA) also tossed in one of her five kills at this important juncture. As a team, Redlands recorded its best offensive output of the match with a .323 showing.

Tied at one set all, the match was far from decided. The Athenas garnered a five-point lead early in the third frame, but the Bulldogs closed the gap at 10 apiece when sophomore right side hitter Alexa Herlosky (Henderson, NV), McCord, and Buckner put up a formidable block, forcing CMS' junior outside hitter Emily Hudson (South Pasadena, CA) into an attack error. A near-flawless stretch of Athena hitting combined with too many Bulldog errors led to a sizeable lead for CMS at 22-15. Just as quickly, the Athenas hit a rough patch of offense, allowing Redlands to claw its way back into the set at 20-23. However, consecutive kills by Hudson and senior middle blocker Leanne Ringquist (Ben Lomond, CA) resulted in a 25-20 decision for Claremont.

Down 1-2, Redlands faced another must-win situation in the fourth frame. Three Bulldog kills and two Athena miscues led to Redlands' early 5-1 lead, providing the advantage it needed to close out the set with a victory. Buckner knocked down six of her 17 kills in this set, while the Bulldog defense wreaked havoc on the CMS attack, holding it to a mere .130 hitting percentage.

With the match score knotted at two sets all, the race to the finish came down to a two-point differential during the deciding stanza. Despite holding a 5-1 lead, Redlands relinquished control due to tough Athena serving and mistimed attacks, allowing CMS to gain an 8-6 advantage. A back-and-forth battle ensued, with the score being tied at nine, 11, 10, and 12, before consecutive Athena attack errors provided a one-point lead for the Maroon and Gray at 14-12. With match point on Buckner's serve, senior right side hitter Angela Estrella-Lemus (Gilroy, CA) crushed one of her five kills in limited action for CMS, forcing Redlands to earn one more point. This time, Hamilton notched her 18th kill of the match to give the Bulldogs a well-deserved and exciting victory.

Buckner finished with 17 kills to go along with 16 digs and four block assists. In addition to her 18 kills, Hamilton supplied 16 digs and two block assists. Senior middle blocker Megan Phillips (Vista, CA) uncorked a .344 hitting percentage on 15 kills and added five block assists, five digs, and two aces. Freshman setter Alisha Cornick (Hollister, CA) dished out 51 assists for the Bulldogs, while Arcaris came up with a match-leading 25 digs from the back row.

For CMS, Hudson and freshman middle blocker Bennett Jones (Monte Sereno, CA) recorded the team's only double-digit kill performances with 12 and 11, respectively. Sophomore setter Taylor Jones (Scottsdale, AZ) distributed 45 assists as Huff tallied a team-high 20 digs.

Redlands (13-6, 3-5 SCIAC) takes a break from SCIAC competition this weekend and heads to the Cal Lutheran Fall Classic in Thousand Oaks. On Friday, the Bulldogs take on UC Santa Cruz at 5 p.m. and Randolph-Macon College (VA) at 7 p.m. Play continues on Saturday with a 1 p.m. match against Millikin University (IL) and a 5 p.m. showdown against Hendrix College (AR).