Cal State San Bernardino Sweeps Through to the National Semifinal Round
Interactive Bracket >>>
DENVER - The No. 1 Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes opened their final journey toward a National Championship on Thursday in dominant fashion. In a match that lasted just over an hour, the Yotes dispatched the eighth-seed Molloy 3-0 from Auraria Event Center on the campus of MSU Denver in the 2019 NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship quarterfinals.
Playing in the nightcap, the Coyotes made quick work of their first match in Denver in their first-ever meeting against Molloy. With the three-set sweep, Cal State San Bernardino advances to the national semifinal match for the first time since 2011, when the Coyotes closed the year as NCAA runners-up.
Next on the docket, Cal State San Bernardino takes on de facto home team and No. 4 seed Regis, playing just six miles from their campus. First serve between the Rangers and the Coyotes is scheduled again in the final match of the day as the two take to the court Friday at 6:30 p.m. PST vying for the opportunity to play for a national title. Fans can
watch the match free on ncaa.com.
The other side of the bracket sees No. 2 and fellow unbeaten Nebraska-Kearney pitted against No. 3 Rockhurst as the reseeded bracket slots rang true with each higher seed advancing to Friday’s matches. The finals between the two advancing sides will be contested Saturday at 4 p.m. PST.
| National Quarterfinal: No. 1 Cal State San Bernardino 3, No. 8 Molloy 0 |
Box Score |
CSUSB postgame |
Molloy postgame
Statistically, Cal State San Bernardino dominated every facet of their game against Molloy, nearly doubling the Lions’ total points production, holding a 48-31 margin in kills on the night and a 9-2 advantage on the block.
The Coyotes were led by unanimous national Player of the Year Alexis Cardoza as the junior contributed 17 kills on an effective .630 hitting while adding nine digs during her time on the back line.
Cal State San Bernardino head coach Kim Cherniss was pleased with the headiness of her junior outside hitter, and her ability to bring the somewhat youthful squad together for high levels of productivity on the court.
“She is such an intelligent attacker, and she’s not satisfied ever with her game,” Cherniss explained after the contest. “She is the perfect balance of power and reliability.
“She plays within herself, but there’s nothing that’s really outside her scope, and she’s the consummate teammate. It’s never just about her, it’s about her team. We have that across the board. It’s a very unselfish team and Lex is the embodiment of that.”
The unselfishness was on display up and down the Coyote lineup as Jalyn Hayes added eight kills on .538 hitting to go with five blocks, and Stephanie Doak contributed seven kills on the night. Moira Murphy was 6-for-10 in her attack attempts while adding four blocks and Lydia Morohunfola added five kills to the tally.
Freshmen setters Mehana Ma’a (23 assists) and Marleee Nunley (19 assists) directed the offense to a .467 hitting percentage in the match, while libero Leilia To’omalatai anchored the defensive effort which held Molloy to a .140 percentage.
The first set went the way of Cal State San Bernardino 25-16, and the tone for the match was sert early on. The Coyotes jumped out to a 7-2 lead with a blocked shot, a service ace and three different women notching kills in the opening rallies.
The second frame saw Cardoza demonstrate her prowess at the service line as Cal State San Bernardino reeled off eight straight points to jump out to a 16-4 advantage before cruising to the 25-9 set victory.
The third was more of a battle, as Molloy even held an early 5-4 lead after a kill from Carly Banks, but Cal State San Bernardino had the answer as the Coyotes surged back out in front as Hayes contributed three straight points on the swing or off the block. Once Cal State San Bernardino nabbed the lead, they never looked back. The Coyotes closed with the last four points of the night to secure a 25-18 win in the third and the sweeping victory to move to 31-0 on the season. The three-set win is the Coyotes’ 22nd of the year.
Regis and Cal State San Bernardino have met just twice in the last decade, splitting their non-conference early-season meetings in 2012 and ’13. The Coyotes are seeking their third appearance in a championship final, and their first-ever title. Regis has never appeared in the finals and has advanced to the semifinals twice (1988, ’98) in its 23 tries in championship competition.