CAMBRIDGE, MA — The University of La Verne volleyball team won close first and second sets and rolled in the third to sweep Messiah University in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
NCAA Regional Information
The No. 13 Leopards advance to round two on Friday for a 1:30 p.m. (PST) game against No. 15 Colby College. The Mules (25-3) defeated UMass-Dartmouth in four sets in their opening game. Colby, located in Waterville, Maine, was the runner-up in the NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference).
"We loved winning that match and are going to savor the moment. Now that we know who we are playing next we can start to look to tomorrow and prepare for that tough match," said University of La Verne Head Volleyball Coach
Jeff Hendershot.
Mya Ray led all players with 17 kills and added 10 digs, two blocks, and an ace. Allison Whiteman tallied an astonishing six aces with six kills, two digs, and a block. Kaitlyn Bloomer posted five blocks and five kills. The Leopards finished with 12 aces.
The turning point in the match came late in the second set. The set started eerily similar to the first with neither team gaining a large lead, but Messiah stormed forward and took a 20-19 lead. A big block by Katie Quesenberry and Sarah Hart gave the Falcons a brief two-point cushion.
Then Ray took over. The Region 10 Player of the Year showed why she dons a myriad of accolades. The Pomona native responded with four straight no-doubter kills and the Leopard took back control. Lauren Gott served an ace to bring up set point and Ray and Bloomer ended the set with a block to put the Leopards up 2-0.
"That's just Mya doing Mya things. She's a really special player and has the ability to take over a match at any point. When she's hot, we get her the ball and just let her go," added Hendershot.
The momentum carried over in a big way, and the third set was never in question. La Verne took a 9-0 lead to start, extending their lead to 21-10, and rolled to win the final set 25-13.
Malia Capistrano and Sydne Humphrey directed the Leopards' attack, finishing with 16 and 13 assists, respectively. Capistrano added 10 digs and an ace.
Zacky Coaston ended with five kills and two blocks. Gott finished with four kills and nine digs. Mariah Ray totaled three blocks and a kill.
The Falcons and Leopards went back and forth to open the match with neither team able to maintain momentum for long stretches. Messiah put La Verne on its heels late when a 5-1 run put the Falcons ahead 23-21. Whiteman halted the surge with a big kill cutting the deficit to one. Mya Ray followed with a kill, an ace from Capistrano brought up set point, and an attack error gave the Leopards the win.
"I think we just had to get our feet underneath us and get comfortable in the playoff environment. We were really excited and it just took us some time to get into our rhythm and get playing," said Hendershot.
La Verne improves to 24-5 overall. Messiah University, champions of the MAC Commonwealth, ends one of their best seasons in program history 24-8.
Tournament Schedule (All times listed in PST)
Thursday, Nov. 21
- 8:30 AM (Match 1) - No. 13 La Verne def. Messiah, 25-23, 25-21, 25-13 [Watc on Demand | Box Score]
- 11:00 AM (Match 2) - No. 15 Colby def. UMass Dartmouth, 25-20, 22-25, 25-13, 25-22 [Box Score]
- 1:30 PM (Match 3) - NYU def. William Smith, 25-22, 22-25, 25-15, 25-18 [Box Score]
- 4:00 PM (Match 4) - No. 4 MIT def. Maine Maritime, 25-11, 25-14, 25-14 [Box Score]
Friday, Nov. 22
Saturday, Nov. 23
