Cal State LA volleyball wins CCAA battle for NCAA Regional Championship

[Box score] [Photo Gallery] [Cal State LA presser] [CSUSB presser]

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - Everyone had been waiting to see the ceiling for Cal State LA in a match when they put everything together; they saw it Saturday night when it was all unleashed for the 2023 NCAA West Regional championship match.

The Golden Eagles posted a season-best .439 hitting percentage, eclipsing their previous high by nearly 80 points, to sweep Cal State San Bernardino, 25-15, 25-16, and 25-18 to earn the program's second consecutive regional title.

Cal State LA (21-10) played a near-flawless match, making only seven errors on 98 swings. Emily Elliott and Iane Henke combined for 38 kills and three errors in the three sets as the Golden Eagles registered 50 kills to the Yotes' 31.

Elliott finished the match hitting an incredible .588, and her 22 kills tied a CCAA three-set season-best. She added six aces to help CSLA win the serving battle 13-1. Henke had a team-leading 17 digs to go with her 16 kills and was the only student-athlete on either side to reach double-figures in digs.

"We prepared for this and came in hungry," said Cal State LA head coach Juan Figueroa. "We came out and executed the game plan to perfection. That was a masterpiece we put out there. I am so proud of Emily and Iane for leading the way. It was an epic performance for Cal State LA volleyball."

Eliza Cannon averaged 14 assists (42 total) and guided the Golden Eagles to over a .412 hitting percentage in each set. She helped Cal State LA jump out to a quick lead in each set, forcing CSUSB to play on its heels most of the night. In the first, LA dropped the first point before taking the next six in a row. The Yotes were within striking distance, trailing 17-13 before the Golden Eagles scored eight of the final 10 points to close the set.

The second set saw Cal State LA go on an early 9-0 run, in which Elliott had three aces and three kills, to take the lead (10-2) it would never relinquish en route to the 25-16 win. The first three points of the third set went to Cal State LA, and they opened up a 9-3 and 13-5 lead. A 4-0 run got CSUSB to within three at 17-14. They were down just four at 21-17, but the Golden Eagles did not slip as they took four of the last five points to secure their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Volleyball Championship.

Trinity Sheridan led Cal State San Bernardino (26-5) with eight kills, and Jenna Patton and Taryn King each added seven. Marlee Nunley registered 27 assists, and Jayden Chornomud paced the Yotes with seven digs.

The regional championship is the fourth in Cal State LA program history. Last season, they reached the national semifinals. It is the second time in the previous three seasons the Golden Eagles have knocked the Yotes out of the NCAA playoffs. It is also the third consecutive season that it has been a CCAA team to knock CSUSB out of the regional. The match was the fourth meeting of the season between the teams, with each winning two. They split the regular season with CSUSB winning in the CCAA Championship.

Cal State LA will continue its postseason journey in the NCAA Championship quarterfinals on Thursday, Dec. 7, in Moon Township, Penn. Their opponent and seed number are yet to be determined.