LA VERNE, Calif. - The #19 ranked University of La Verne Leopards traveled down the street to battle the #6 ranked CMS Athenas for first place in SCIAC. Although the match was exciting to watch, the Leopards' undefeated streak was snapped in the 3-0 defeat.

As to be expected from a top 20 battle, set one had the fans on their feet early. Back and forth offense and defense made for an exciting match up on a Tuesday night. La Verne led for much of the set, and at 24-21 it looked to be in the bag for the Leopards. But the seasoned CMS team was not to be ignored, and the Athenas clawed their way back and took the set from La Verne, 25-27.

CMS utilized the momentum gained in the first set to launch their way into the second. Except for an early 2-2 tie, the Athenas took control and held it until the end, winning it 16-25.

Set three saw more of the original Leopard fire exhibited in set one. 14 tie scores in the third proved to all how much every point matters in a high stakes match. At 20-20, the teams moved forward in what felt like a stalemate as they each tied the score five times before the set ended 24-26 in favor of CMS.

NOTABLES: Two Leopards were in double digit kills on the night. Lauren Gott had 14 kills (.324) and 10 digs, while Mya Ray added 18 kills (.271) and two blocks to the count. Libero Madison Smith held down the defense with 13 digs while setter Malia Capistrano hoisted 37 assists and added 10 digs. 

UP NEXT: The Leopards will host the University of Redlands at home in the Tents on Friday, October 6th at 7 PM.