While holding the Athenas scoreless in two quarters, the University of Redlands women's water polo team cruised to a 9-2 win over the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Wednesday's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown.  After building a 3-1 lead in the first half, the Bulldogs kept pressing offensively for a 6-1 finish in the final two periods for the impressive win.

Amidst a defensive-heavy start to the match, the Bulldogs mustered the only score of the opening period when senior attacker Katelyn Jenkins (Bellevue, WA) took advantage of a power-play with 4:22 left.

Early in the second quarter, senior defender Carmen Gardner (South San Francisco, CA) found the back of the net on another 6-on-5 play to put Redlands in front by a score of 2-0.

Although CMS answered on its ensuing possession, the rally was short-lived, as the Bulldogs held the Athenas scoreless for the next 12 minutes.  In the meantime, sophomore defender Sarah Draves (Fallbrook, CA) found an open senior utility player Breanna O'Dea (Rowland Heights, CA) for a sweet combination with 3:34 remaining in the second. 

Junior attacker Hunter Olivier (Indio, CA) and Jenkins each scored a goal by the 4:14-mark of the third for Redlands' 5-1 advantage.

After CMS scored about two minutes later, the Bulldogs kept pressing offensively and fired off four unanswered goals to close out the game with a 9-2 victory.  While Jenkins bookended the run, senior center Kolby Kahahawai (Kailua, HI) and O'Dea each fired one past the Athena goalkeeper. 

Senior goalkeeper Kelly Grosswendt (Newbury Park, CA) put up three saves in a full-game performance but her steady presence forced CMS into difficult shots, as 11 of CMS' 16 shots either hit the post, missed the cage, or were blocked.

Redlands (14-15, 7-6 SCIAC) takes to the road for the final game of the regular season on Saturday, April 20, when it travels to Whittier College for a must-win scenario to keep its playoff hopes alive.  The game is slated for 11 a.m.