In an exciting Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) dual on Tuesday night at the Thompson Aquatic Center, the University of Redlands women's water polo team fell shy in a tight, 6-7 loss to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges.

Amidst a defensive battle, the Bulldogs scored the opening goal of the game when senior attacker Katelyn Jenkins (Bellevue, WA) fired one past the Athenas' goalkeeper with 2:06 left on the first-quarter clock. 

However, CMS answered with a three-goal outburst for a 3-1 lead by the 6:41-mark of the second.  On its next possession, Redlands responded when Jenkins found junior attacker Hunter Olivier (Indio, CA) on the perimeter for a goal to make it 2-3.

Although CMS scored once again to take a 4-2 lead into the break, the Maroon and Gray went to work early in the third frame with the help of senior attacker Sami Walker (Taylorsville, UT), who registered the team's third goal of the game. As time expired in the period, senior utility player Breanna O'Dea (Rowland Heights, CA) snuck one into the back of the net on a power-play goal to cut the deficit to 4-5 heading into the final eight minutes.

Early in the fourth, the teams went back-and-forth, with Redlands' goal coming from first-year attacker Holly Kvanvig (Beaverton, OR) with 2:28 remaining. With 1:08 to go, the Bulldogs played tough defense but allowed the Athenas to pull back ahead by two scores. Nonetheless, Olivier connected with Jenkins for a goal about 10 seconds later, but it was not enough in the 6-7 loss.

For the game, Jenkins recorded a team-high two goals on only three attempts, along with an assist and two steals. Senior center Kolby Kahahawai (Kailua, HI) was active in the middle with three steals, while O'Dea tallied a goal, an assist, and a steal. In net, senior goalkeeper Kelly Grosswendt (Newbury Park, CA) posted six saves.

Redlands (8-11, 2-2 SCIAC) takes to the road for a conference match at Occidental College on Thursday, March 14, at 4 p.m.