[Box score]
Cal State LA put up the most dominant performance of any team in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Volleyball Championships. The Golden Eagles swept through Gannon in the 4/5 seed match 25-11, 25-14, and 25-18 on Thursday, Dec. 1, at the NCAA Division II Festival in Seattle.
Gannon (29-6) never led after the ninth point in any of the three sets, as Cal State LA (25-6) controlled all aspects of the game.
The Golden Eagles outhit the Golden Knights .301 to .054. Gannon did not hit better than .061 and they never reached double-figure kills in any set.
On the other side,
Emily Elliott was a force from the first play of the match for Cal State LA. The 2022 AVCA Second Team All-American had 20 kills, nine digs, and six service aces while hitting .441. She finished the match with 26.5 points, while the entire Gannon team had only 32 points.
Elliott and the Golden Eagles also received help from the 2022 AVCA Freshman of the Year,
Iane Henke, who registered nine kills, seven digs, and four blocks. She added a service ace to help Cal State LA post 12 aces to Gannon's four.
The victory snapped Gannon's 17-match winning streak and sends Cal State LA to the NCAA semifinals on Friday, Dec. 2, at 6:30 p.m. Follow the action here:
ncaa.com/scoreboard/volleyball-women/d2
The Golden Eagles have not lost a set in the NCAA playoffs since the second set of their opening-round match against Sonoma State. (12-1)
Cal State LA reached the NCAA West Region semifinals last year, but this is their first appearance in the NCAA Championships since 2005, and third overall. In 2005, CSLA won its quarterfinal match before falling in the semifinals.
The volleyball championships are part of the NCAA Division II Fall Festival, which will crown six Division II champions for men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, field hockey, and volleyball. Cal State LA will join the men's cross country team from Chico State, women's cross country teams from Stanislaus State and Chico State, and Cal Poly Pomona's men's cross country runner Ricardo Vargas as representing the California Collegiate Athletic Association at the Fall Festival. The Golden Eagles, Chico State's men's cross country team, and Stanislaus State's women's cross country team won West Region championships.