CAMBRIDGE, MA — The University of La Verne Leopards are NCAA Regional Champions.

The No. 13 Leopards defeated No. 4 MIT 3-0 to advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals.

The NCAA quarterfinals, final four, and championship game will be held in Salem, Virginia beginning on December 4.

This is the Leopards' first NCAA Regional title since 2008 when La Verne eventually finished as the NCAA Runner-Up.

Mya Ray was unstoppable. She led the Leopards with 19 kills on .457 hitting with three blocks, one ace, and four digs. Lauren Gott added 12 kills, two aces, and 15 digs. Malia Capistrano and Vanessa Marquez recorded 15 assists while Madison Smith had an outstanding 20 digs. 

Ray was named the Massachusetts Regional Most Outstanding Player. Gott and Capistrano were named to the Massachusetts Regional All-Tournament Team.

The Leopards set the tone early, dominated the first set, shocked the Egineers, and never gave MIT a chance. Tied 10-10, Allison Whiteman gave La Verne the edge with a kill from Ray and then teamed up with Kaitlyn Bloomer for a block. That sparked a 15-3 run including six straight points to end the set. Marquez served the final six points, slipping in an ace. Zacky Coaston and Mariah Ray posted a block for the final point. Bloomer and Coaston led the Leopards with six blocks apiece. Whiteman finished with five blocks and four kills, and Ray added four blocks.

The second set played out much differently. In back-and-forth action, the Engineers surged ahead, scoring four points in a row off two kills and a block to take a 23-20 advantage. Gott closed the gap with a kill and ace before Mya Ray's kill evened the score. Neither team backed down. MIT earned the first set point, 24-23, and the Leopards quickly responded with set points at 25-24 and 26-25. Tied 26-26, a kill by Ray and a block from Coaston and Gott finally ended the set and put La Verne in firm control of the match.

MIT had no chance of slowing La Verne's momentum in the third. La Verne hit .333, took a 15-14 lead off a block from Coaston and Mariah Ray, and never trailed again.

La Verne has won nine matches in a row with three wins over top-15 opponents and has lost just one set during the stretch. The Leopards improved to 26-5 overall. The Engineers ended their season 32-2.

The remaining eight teams are reseeded after the regional round. The Leopards are seeded eighth and will take on top-seed and two-time defending DIII National Champions Juniata (32-0). The Eagles are on a 94-game win streak and have not lost since September 16, 2022. Juniata started its current win streak on September 17, 2022, in a win against La Verne.

The remaining six teams in the tournament are No. 2 seed Johns Hopkins, No. 3 Emory, No. 4 Hope, No. 5 Washington & Lee, No. 6 Wisconsin-Whitewater, and No. 7 Wisconsin-Oshkosh.