The University of Redlands volleyball team took on the Athenas of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition on Tuesday night but came up short in a three-set decision.  The Bulldogs showed off their potential in the opening frame before succumbing to the diverse offense of their opponents in the subsequent stanzas, 25-27, 13-25, 12-25.

The squads squared off for the second time this season while creating a back-and-forth affair that truly could have gone either way.  While facing a 21-22 deficit, Redlands rattled off two points to force a CMS timeout. 

However, the Athenas responded with consecutive points of their own to pull ahead and inspire a Bulldog timeout.

With the score eventually knotted again at 25, CMS put together a pair of successful rallies to secure the hard-fought victory.

The momentum stayed with the Athenas in the next two sets, resulting in the sweep.

Redlands gained a match-high 14 kills from junior outside hitter Morgan Buckner (Hollister, CA).  She also contributed three service aces and nine digs for a well-rounded effort.

Freshman libero Justine Urauchi (Cupertino, CA) performed admirably in the back row, notching a match-high 17 digs for the Bulldogs.

Redlands (6-12, 2-10 SCIAC) returns home to the friendly confines of Currier Gym on Friday night to host non-conference foe, Mills College, in a 7 p.m. match.