Aragon girls volleyball finds itself in a three-way tie at the top of the PAL Bay Division after Burlingame knocked off Carlmont on Thursday, Sept. 24.

The Panthers' four-set road win handed Carlmont its first loss in Bay Division play and pulled Burlingame into a tie with the Scots and Aragon. All three teams now sit at 4-1 in league play, according to a MaxPreps recap.

The Dons created the opening. Aragon beat Burlingame in four sets on Sept. 17, handing the Panthers their lone league loss and keeping the Dons in the title hunt.

For a program that has won three of the last four CCS Division II championships, the Bay Division crown remains the missing piece. Aragon has not claimed a PAL Bay Division title since 2014. The Dons compete in CCS Division II, while Bay Division rivals Carlmont and Menlo-Atherton play in CCS Division I, making every league match a step up in competition.

Head coach Annette Gennaro spoke to the pressure in a Sept. 17 Aragon Outlook season preview: "Every game is tough. Everyone's out to get Aragon."

Gennaro also said in that preview that her team was focused on building chemistry heading into the season. The Dons return a roster led by junior outside hitter Poppy McKenzie and senior setter Devyn Lee, both all-league first-team selections last season. Senior outside hitter Caitlyn Robertson earned second-team honors.

Aragon opened the season with a 3-1 loss to Menlo School on Aug. 28 but has since won four straight in league play. The Dons hold a head-to-head win over Burlingame after the Sept. 17 result.

In the match that reshuffled the standings, Burlingame beat Carlmont 25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 25-20. Junior setter Raya Tulchinsky recorded 46 assists, a career-best 11.5 per set. Junior Ilsa Carlson led the Panthers with 15 kills and five service aces.

Carlmont sits at 8-5 overall after the loss. Burlingame is 5-4 overall.

The three-way tie sets up a tight stretch run where remaining head-to-head matchups could decide the division. Carlmont hosts Aragon on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 5:45 p.m. — the next head-to-head matchup in the three-way race.