CLAREMONT, Calif. - Brooke McKee had 21 kills as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps volleyball team rolled to a first-set win and then fought off tough challenges from Pomona-Pitzer in the second and third for a 25-11, 25-23, 25-23 victory on Thursday night in the SCIAC Tournament Semifinals at Roberts Pavilion. 

With the win, CMS improves to 21-5 on the year and will advance to play La Verne in the championship match on Saturday night at 6 p.m., also at Roberts Pavilion. Pomona-Pitzer, which defeated CMS in five sets at home on Friday, sees its season come to an end with a 17-11 record. 

Brenna Bell capped off the win with a kill on match point to give CMS its second straight 25-23 win. The Athenas trailed 12-8, but used an 8-1 run to pull ahead 16-13 on an ace from Georgia McGovern, with Solvej Eversoll helping to swing the momentum with three blocks (combining with McGovern for two of them). The Sagehens got back even at 18-18, but McGovern and McKee had two straight kills for a 20-18 lead.

McKee had two straight kills to put CMS ahead 23-20, and McGovern had one to make it 24-22 and give the Athenas two match points. Pomona-Pitzer fought off the first one, but Bell was able to finish it off with a right-side kill. 

CMS was able to hold off Pomona-Pitzer in the second set after pulling ahead 21-17 on a Bell kill. Chole Gill had a kill to get the Sagehens within 22-21, but Shae Delany was able to stop the run with a kill. Dani Beder then had a kill to put CMS ahead 24-22, and after the Sagehens fought off a set point, Beder followed with another clutch kill for a 25-23 second-set win. 

The Athenas used a 7-0 run in the first set to pull ahead 13-5 on a McKee kill, and Ashley Murashige ended the set with an ace for a dominant 25-11. 

CMS split with La Verne during the regular season, with the Leopards defeating the Athenas at Roberts Pavilion in three, and CMS winning the rematch at La Verne in five. The two teams also met in last year's SCIAC finals, which the Athenas won, before both teams made deep NCAA Tournament runs (CMS to the national semifinals, La Verne to the regional finals). 

A win over La Verne would give CMS its seventh straight SCIAC Tournament title, dating back to a loss to Cal Lutheran in 2016.