The University of Redlands volleyball team suffered its fourth loss in six matches, surrendering to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foe Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Tuesday night at Ducey Gym in Claremont. This defeat was the first in straight sets for the Bulldogs this season as they fell by scores of 15-25, 23-25, 24-26.

The Athenas erupted in the opening set with a .295 hitting percentage and refused to give in to the Bulldogs' come-from-behind efforts.

The Maroon and Gray rallied in the second frame, posting a solid hitting percentage of .275, compared to CMS' mark of .154. However, the Athenas managed to pull away in the final points to emerge victorious.

The third set appeared to be an evenly-matched showdown, with Redlands fighting to stay alive and CMS sitting within striking distance of a three-set sweep. The Bulldogs provided an offensive clip of .255 with a match-high 18 kills but the Athenas countered with their .228 performance, also coming off of 18 kills. During a back-and-forth finale, CMS hung on for the win.

The Bulldogs looked to senior outside hitter Jackie Hamilton (Loma Linda, CA) to lead the offense with 14 kills at a .433 clip. Junior middle blocker Emily Capozzoli (Poway, CA) posted a .353 hitting percentage with six kills and no errors.  Freshman setter Alisha Cornick (Hollister, CA) distributed 29 assists, while senior libero Chelsea Arcaris (Vista, CA) provided 29 digs.

Redlands (11-4, 1-3 SCIAC) strives to rebound this weekend when it hosts the University of La Verne and Whittier College in SCIAC action. The Bulldogs take on La Verne on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and then face Whittier on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Currier Gym.