[
Box score] [
Tournament Bracket] [
Cal State LA Postgame Presser] [
Video of final points and celebration]
MOON TOWNSHIP, Penn. - Cal State LA claimed the program's first NCAA Championship, defeating the defending champions West Texas A&M in four sets, 25-23, 25-16, 22-25 and 25-14. (Dec. 9)
As they were throughout the six NCAA Tournament matches, the duo of
Iane Henke and
Emily Elliott was unstoppable. They combined for 48 kills, one more than the entire Buffs team. Each also recorded a double-double. Henke had only two errors to go with her 21 kills (.380 hitting%) and team-leading 18 digs. Elliott had a match-high 27 kills and six aces. She hit .309 in the match, adding 12 digs and two blocks.
The Golden Eagles' serving was vital in bringing the program's first championship back to Los Angeles. Cal State LA posted 12 aces to only one for West Texas A&M, but all match CSLA's aggressive serving kept the Buff out of system and scrambling to get the ball over the net.
Cal State LA and setter
Eliza Cannon took advantage of many of these free balls with good hitting opportunities. The senior dished out 49 assists and helped lead her team to a .274 hitting percentage in a championship match. She added eight digs, and
Jameson Sanders had 11.
After the match's first point went to the Buffs, Cal State LA got a side out on a kill from Elliott, and Sanders proceeded to serve eight straight times to help the Golden Eagles jump in front 8-1. This run put all momentum and belief in Cal State LA's corner, and they held it the rest of the match, even when they dropped the third set.
West Texas A&M battled back to tie set 1 at 18-18. A 5-1 run put Cal State LA up 23-19 and allowed them to withstand a 3-0 spurt by the Buffs. A service error and a kill by Henke would put LA up 1-0 with a 25-23 set win.
The second set was nearly flawless, as the Golden Eagles committed only one error. They hit .341 in the set and never trailed. Cal State LA went up 11-5 and 19-11 before Elliott closed it with an ace.
Facing elimination, West Texas A&M put it all on the line in the third set, outhitting LA .333 to .238. The Golden Eagles were down 21-15 but rattled off four straight points to make it 21-19. The Buffs found the shots they needed down the stretch to win 25-22 and extend the match to the fourth.
After giving up the first point, LA took seven of the next nine points to take a 7-3 lead, and it would never trail again. It led 13-9 when Elliott took the serve for the following seven points, extending the lead to 20-9. She had two aces in the run, and
Ashley Dittmann and Henke had two kills. The teams would trade points until a long hit by the Buffs gave Cal State LA its 25th point and clinched the match for the Golden Eagles.
West Texas A&M was the No. 5 team in the country and came into the match with a record of 33-3 and the defending NCAA Championships. Cal State LA was unranked in the latest AVCA poll and was the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Volleyball Championships. They close the season at 24-10.
Cal State LA reached the NCAA Championship semifinals last season. They are the two-time defending NCAA West Region Champions.
Emily Elliott capped off her junior season, which included CCAA and West Region Player of the Year honors, with the Most Outstanding Player award at the NCAA Championship. She was joined on the all-tournament team by
Haley Roundtree,
Iane Henke, and
Eliza Cannon.
This is the second NCAA Volleyball Championship in the past four seasons (CSUSB 2019) and seventh overall for the conference. The CCAA now has 156 all-time NCAA titles, by far the most of any NCAA Div. II conference.
All-time NCAA Champions