The women’s volleyball team was poised to close out a sweep against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at the Frantz Athletic Court on senior day Saturday but after a huge comeback from the Athenas, they were defeated in the reverse sweep, losing, 3-2.
The Leopards started the game taking the first two sets with identical scores of 25-22.
Unfortunately for La Verne, the Leopards were unable to close the game out, losing the next two sets, 25-20 and 25-17.
Settling the game in a final set tiebreaker, the Leopards were all out of momentum, losing the final frame, 15-10.
Senior setter Madison Maynes and senior outside hitter Darrah Jones were honored before the game.
Maynes and Jones both had standout performances in their final game for the Leopards, with Maynes racking up 50 assists in addition to her 15 digs and two blocks.
Jones finished with 11 kills, four digs as well as a single block and assist.
Junior outside hitter Pi’ikea Clemens and freshman middle blocker Ayana Mier were the offensive leaders for La Verne, finishing the game with 19 and 17 kills respectively.
Following the loss, the Leopards drop to a 15-12 overall record, with a 9-7 record in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, a good enough standing to guarantee them postseason play.
The Leopards sit in the fourth seed position, meaning they will match-up against the first seed Athenas once again in the SCIAC Semifinals at Roberts Pavilion on Thursday.
If the Leopards defeat the Athenas in the semis, they will move on to play the winner of Chapman vs. Cal Lutheran in the SCIAC finals, with a chance to compete in the NCAA championship.
—Joey Matsuzawa
