CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's water polo team had a solid showing on the first day of the Clarmeont Convergence on Friday, hanging tough with Division I UC Santa Barbara before falling 13-9, and then winning a 16-11 decision over McKendree. 

Grace Clark led CMS with four goals against McKendree and had six goals and two assists on the day. Valerie Wraith also had a hat trick in the McKendree win. 

In the nightcap, CMS opened the scoring with two quick goals, first by Jordan LaCour at 7:29 and followed by Isabel Del Villar at 6:37 in the first period. McKendree responded with a goal from Joey Rebelo at 5:51, but CMS maintained their lead with additional goals from Grace Clark at 3:40 and Fiona Murphy at 2:51, ending the first with a 4-2 lead.

During the second period, the Athenas extended their lead with consecutive goals, including two from Christina Marlow at 2:46 and 0:59, making the score 8-4. Del Villar and Wraith scored in the fourth, but McKendree managed to narrow the deficit with goals from Jazmine Sandoval and Joey Rebelo, pulling to within 12-9.

In the final period, the Athenas secured their victory with three more goals, including one from Grace Clark at 4:59 to pull away. Wraith scored three goals on four shots and added two steals in the game. Fiona Murphy scored two times on two attempts while also recording two exclusions. 

In the opener, UC Santa Barbara started strong, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first period. CMS responded in the second period with Grace Clark and Tatum Dwyer scoring to narrow the margin. The Gauchos extended their lead in the third period with goals from Aidan Flynn and Bella Mady, making it 9-4 before Elise Power and Clark helped CMS fight back to 9-6. The Gauchos maintained their advantage in the fourth period with Morgan Hoffman scoring at 5:07, ultimately ending the game 13-9 in favor of UCSB. 

Valerie Wraith, Elise Power, Tatum Dwyer and Clark led Claremont-Mudd-Scripps with two goals each, while Clark also contributed two assists. Christina Marlow stood out defensively, leading the team with five steals.

CMS will be back in action tomorrow to take on Santa Clara at 12:45 p.m., and CSU Northridge at 4:30 p.m.

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