LA VERNE, CA —  The No. 21 University of La Verne volleyball team played their best game of the season and stunned No. 4 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, beating the Athenas in four sets in front of a packed crowd Wednesday night.

The win broke the Athenas' 59-game SCIAC-win streak dating back to October 1, 2019. It was also the first time CMS lost to a SCIAC team in less than five sets since the 2016 SCIAC Postseason Tournament Championship game.

"It was an amazing match and atmosphere tonight. The team executed the game plan and played a great game tonight. Super proud of them and excited to finish out SCIAC with a few more big matches," said University of La Verne volleyball head coach Jeff Hendershot.

Mya Ray and Lauren Gott led La Verne offensively, finishing with 18 and 15 kills, respectively. Ayana Mier finished with eight kills and three total blocks, and Noelani Soma totaled seven kills and three blocks. 

Malia Capistrano dealt 40 assists and added 16 digs in the win. Mdison Smith posted a team-high 19 digs with Ray adding 13 of her own.

Prior to Wednesday's game, CMS had won 84 of their last 85 sets.

The Leopards started the set strong, unfazed by the Athenas' high ranking. La Verne led by as many as seven points, but CMS didn't go away quickly. The Athenas battled back, extending the set, but the Leopards' offensive duo of Ray and Gott posted back-to-back kills to give La Verne the 27-25 set win.

CMS rallied in the second set and jumped out to an early lead aided by their defense at the net. The Leopards fell into a hole and couldn't close the gap, dropping the set 25-16.

The Leopards regrouped in the third set, and La Verne's net defense forced the Athenas into mistakes. Zacky Coaston dominated the net and ignited a four-point run with a kill to extend La Verne's lead to 17-14. She also added one of her game-high eight blocks during the stretch. Soma helped seal the set for La Verne with three-straight kills to bring up set-point.

La Verne closed the match strong, hitting .333 in the fourth set to earn the upset win.

The Leopards improved to 19-2 overall and 10-2 in the SCIAC. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps dropped to 16-4 overall and 10-1 in conference play.

The Leopards will travel to take on Redlands on Friday, October 27th at 7 P.M.