CAMBRIDGE, MA — The Leopards are back in the NCAA Regional Championship.
Support La Verne Volleyball's Championship Run
The No. 13 University of La Verne volleyball team took down No. 15 Colby College to advance to the Sweet 16 in back-to-back seasons.
The Leopards will play No. 4 MIT at 2 p.m. (PST). If the Leopards win, they'll advance to the NCAA quarterfinal round, held in Salem, Virginia, on December 4. MIT enters with a record of 33-1.
"No doubt we're playing a tough and battle-tested team in MIT. I think for us to win we need to commit to our strengths of serving and blocking and be ready to grind out a tough match," s
aid University of La Verne Volleyball Head Coach Jeff Hendershot.
Mya Ray and Lauren Gott could not be stopped. The duo combined for 30 kills to lead the Leopards. Ray posted 16 kills, two aces, and 15 digs. Gott showcased her defensive talents, leading the Leopards with 24 digs to go with 14 kills.
Zacky Coaston was a brick wall at the net. She frustrated the Mules' attack with nine blocks. The sophomore added eight kills. The Leopards totaled 15 team blocks with Kaitlyn Bloomer and Mariah Ray each contributing five.
Allison Whiteman continued her service mastery. She served a game-high four aces to bring her weekend total to 10. She added seven kills, three blocks, and six digs.
The Leopards had to deal with some adversity early. After seven straight sweeps, La Verne lost a set for the first time since November 1. Tied 23-23, Coaston and Mariah Ray brought up set point with a tag-team block. The Mules didn't back down and rallied off three kills, two from LJ Grant, to pull off the comeback. Grant finished with 14 kills and 21 digs. Sydney Bopp led the Mules with 17 kills.
In the second with the score even 22-22, La Verne flipped the script and the defense stepped up to even the set score. Coaston and Bloomer rejected an attack to give La Verne the lead, a Colby attack error brought up set point, and Coaston and Mya Ray teamed up for a block to seal the win.
"We modified our game plan a little and really came back to our serve and pass. When this team serves well and blocks well, we win and were able to do that," said Hendershot.
The Leopards stepped on the gas midway through the third after falling behind early. La Verne went on a 4-0 run to take a 20-17 lead after kills by Gott, Ray, and Coaston and blocks from Whiteman and Coaston. The Mules couldn't recover and a surprise dump ball from Malia Capistrano gave La Verne a 25-20 win.
La Verne rolled in the fourth and the Mules and could not recover. Gott got hot in the final frame, posting eight kills. She slammed back-to-back blocks and gave her squad a 15-4 advantage, put in two more to extend the lead to 23-12, and added the final kill to send her squad to the Sweet 16.
The Leopards hit .324 and 318 in the final two sets.
"The turn for our attacking really started with our middles. Once they got going it opened up more options for our pins who took full advantage," said Hendershot.
Capistrano dished out 22 assists and Vanessa Marquez dealt 13. Madison Smith tallied 15 digs and an ace. Bloomer finished with five kills. Sydne Humphrey ended with two aces, six assists, and four digs.
Colby College finished its season with a 25-4 record.
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 [Watch 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
- 1:30 PM (Match 5) - No. 13 La Verne def No. 15 Colby 24-26, 15-22, 25-20, 25-15 [Watch On Demand | Box Score]
- 4:00 PM (Match 6) - No. 4 MIT def, NYU 25-17, 21-25, 25-19, 25-20 [Box Score]
Saturday, Nov. 23
