THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - On Friday, Covenant began the Cal Lu Fornia Invitational with a couple of matches against opposition from the Golden State. 

In game one, the Scots (3-4) took on No. 16 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (4-3), in their first match against nationally ranked opposition this season. The Athenas won the first two sets 25-15 and 25-21, taking control of the match in their first-ever meeting with the Scots. 

In set three, Covenant fought off a match point at 24-23, to eventually go on to win 27-25 and keep the match alive. Carmen Harvey delivered a service ace to clinch the winning point. 

With the Scots up 10-9 in set four, CMS went on a 7-1 run to suddenly go up 16-11. The Athenas cruised the rest of the way, earning a 25-17 win the set and the match 3-1.

CMS led the box score in team stats with 56 kills compared to Covenant's 40. The Athenas also had 62 digs compared to the Scots' 46.

Playing in her home state of California, Amber Snook led the Scots with a double-double, tallying 14 assists and 10 digs. Cali Sandhoff once again impressed in multiple statistical categories with 14 assists, nine digs, and seven kills. 

Lastly, Aubrianna Gerdes continued her strong freshman season posting 12 digs and eight kills with a .214 hitting percentage. 

Covenant started its second match late at night for those watching on the East Coast, taking on tournament hosts California Lutheran at 7 PM PT/10 PM ET in another first-ever meeting. 

The Regals (5-1) came out strong, taking set one convincingly, 25-16, to set the tone. The next two sets were much closer, with Cal Lutheran edging out the Scots (3-5) to earn the 3-0 sweep. 

For the duration of set two, neither team led by more than three points, but it was Cal Lutheran who scored four of the last six points, capped off by a clinching-point kill to win 25-22. 

The Scots regrouped in set three, scoring the first three points of the set and leading for most of the set. Covenant had two set points at 24-22; however, consecutive kills for Cal Lutheran tied the set. The Regals continued to push forward, scoring three of the next four points to win the set 27-25 and the match. 

The box score for team stats was pretty close in several areas. Kills were 44-41 in favor of the Regals, while Covenant had the edge in digs at 61-56. Lastly, each team had three total blocks. 

Gerdes led the Scots statistically with nine kills and seven digs. Defensively, Henley Gentry totaled 18 digs, which was the most by any player for either team. 

UP NEXT: Covenant ends the Cal Lu Fornia Invitational today with a match against Chapman at 11:30 AM PT/2:30 PM ET.

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