For Clara Madsen ’18, the close of the NCAA tournament this week will not only mark the end of her college volleyball career, but also a chapter in her family’s story.
For two seasons, Madsen and her sister Phoebe '20 have played alongside each other for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, which defeated Gustavus Adolphus in the NCAA Division III quarterfinals Thursday in Grand Rapids, Mich.
The Madsen sisters have played volleyball together since their high school days in Santa Barbara. They reunited on the court and on campus last year.
Phoebe originally set her sights on East Coast colleges but ended up joining her sister at CMC. “I realized that if for some reason volleyball didn’t work out," she said, "Claremont was somewhere where I would still be unbelievably happy.”
Volleyball and their experiences in the classroom at CMC have worked out well for the Madsen sisters, who are both setters and economics and finance majors.
After Clara graduates in May, she'll start a job in Newport Beach as a product analyst at PIMCO. Phoebe will continue her studies and return to the court with the Athenas.
Clara said playing with her younger sister has made the team's successful journey even more special.
“I am so happy we got to play together," she said. "It’s something that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
– Chris Watts