The University of Redlands volleyball program dropped a pair of three-set sweeps to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foes, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges and the University of La Verne, on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Bulldogs' woes continue as they struggle through the growing pains of a youthful roster.

During the team's opening match of the weekend, the Redlands offense started off slow and never recovered against the more efficient Athena attack. The Bulldogs' top performance came in the second set, when they mustered a hitting percentage of .107 while holding CMS to a negative .045 showing. The Maroon and Gray fought to make it close but eventually fell in three sets, 17-25, 22-25, 14-25.

Senior right-side hitter Alex Martin (Highlands Ranch, CO) and sophomore middle blocker Kalli Leigh (Rifle, CO) combined for eight kills while registering clips of .308 and .444, respectively.

Down by as many as six early in the opening game against the Leopards, Redlands clawed its way back but eventually fell short by a 23-25 decision. Momentum stayed with La Verne, leading to scores of 25-16 and 25-17 in the subsequent frames.

Against the Leopards, a trio of sophomores stepped up for the Maroon and Gray in the loss. Sophomore outside hitter Morgan Buckner (San Rafael, CA) led her team with nine kills to go along with 11 digs. Sophomore libero Brittney Overgaag (Palm Desert, CA) added 19 digs for her best performance of the season. In addition, sophomore setter Jennifer Wacker (Longmont, CO) distributed 11 assists for the Bulldogs.

Redlands (1-12, 1-5 SCIAC) strives to halt its skid when it hosts No. 25 Occidental College on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Currier Gym.