[Box score]

MOON TOWNSHIP, Penn. - Cal State LA is heading to the program's first NCAA Championship match after sweeping a one-loss Missouri-St. Louis team 25-21, 25-21 and 25-17. (Dec. 8)
 
Emily Elliott led the team with 19 kills and four aces in the three sets. Ashley Dittmann and Iane Henke each turned in 10-kill performances with just one error, and each hit over .360. Haley Roundtree paced the team with a .455 hitting percentage and matched Shelby Grubbs with six assisted blocks. Roundtree added one more solo block to finish with 10 points.

NCAA Volleyball Championship: @LAGoldenEagles sweep a 1-loss Missouri-St. Louis team to earn a spot in tomorrow’s championship match. LA had only one hitting error in both the second and third sets. #GoCCAA pic.twitter.com/p9B3SJztKR

— CCAA (@goccaa) December 9, 2023

Grubbs' and Roundtree's efforts at the net helped the Golden Eagles dominate the block 14-3 in a national semifinal game. Eliza Cannon, Elliott, and Henke chipped in with four assisted blocks apiece, as no one from Tritons had more than three. Cannon added 39 assists and six digs.
 
Cannon's setting helped Cal State LA (23-10) gain offensive momentum as the match progressed. The Golden Eagles trailed 19-17 in the first set, but they got the serve back when Cannon found Henke for an assist on the outside. Cannon then proceeded to serve five straight times to put Cal State LA in front 22-19. An ace by Henke, sandwiched between two kills from Elliott closed the set.
 
The Golden Eagles would make only one error in each of the second and third sets. They hit .433 in the second set and used a 7-1 run to go up 18-13. UMSL cut it to one at 20-19, but again, CSLA closed out, taking five of the last seven points to go up 2-0 in the match.
 

WE'RE GOING TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. ?? #WeAreLA // #ElevateLA pic.twitter.com/SfFLjp42kF

— Cal State LA Athletics (@LAGoldenEagles) December 9, 2023

Cal State LA never trailed in the third set after a 3-0 run erased a 3-1 deficit. It went up 15-9 and 20-13 before a Dittmann kill sealed the victory.

On the other side of the net, Cal State LA's block made it tough on the Tritons' hitters all night. They were held to a .212 hitting percentage and finished with six errors in each set. The Golden Eagles also had seven aces to only two for UMSL. Lexie Rang led the team with 17 kills, and she and Delaney Humm combined for 28 of the team's 40 kills. Missouri-St. Louis finsihes the season at 34-2. 

Cal State LA will play either top-seeded Tampa or No. 4 seed West Texas in the 2023 NCAA Championship match on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. PST ncaa.com/game/6195878