Box Score: No. 22 Coyotes 3, No. 20 Grand Canyon 2

LAIE, Hawaii -- Three months ago, the Coyotes' volleyball team was filled with newcomers and inexperience. They showed signs of talent, but entered CCAA play with just three wins.

And now as the calendar turns into December, take a look who is back in an oh-so familiar place.

The 22nd-ranked Coyotes showed maturity and talent and experience Friday night as they grabbed an early lead, then battled back to earn a hard-fought 3-2 win over No. 20 Grand Canyon in the NCAA West Regional semifinals.

The victory, CSUSB's 21st in its last 23 matches, places the Coyotes in the NCAA West final for the 13th consecutive year. They'll face BYU-Hawaii at 9 p.m. PST/7 p.m. HST. The match will be televised world-wide on the BYU Network.

CSUSB is chasing both its fifth straight NCAA regional title and a victory Saturday would give head coach Kim Cherniss her 500th in her 22-year career with the Coyotes.

The victory over the Lopers was a sweet one as GCU handed the Coyotes a 3-1 loss in the opening weekend of the season at GCU. And it's a win that Cherniss won't soon forget.

"I give our girls a ton of credit,'' she said. "They play with a warrior mentality. What I have come to really appreciate about their play is that they rely on each other so well. They never lose faith when they come upon a tough spot. They've found ways to get back into it and here we are.''

Senior MB Mercedes Winchester led the Coyotes (24-8) with 15 kills as the Coyotes earned a 26-24, 25-21, 21-25, 25-27, 15-12 win. Freshman OH Ashley Solis added 14, while freshman MB Brenna McIntosh had 13 kills with one solo block and three block assists.

Freshman OH Alexandra Torline had a double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs, while junior OH Danielle Newcombe had 11 kills with 28 digs and two solo blocks.

Senior All-American setter Camille Smith had eight kills, 52 assists with 23 digs and four block assists and kept the Coyotes' attack on key as she has her entire career.

Also leading in digs were sophomore libero Arielle McCullough with 27 and Jordan Ortega added 16 as CSUSB totaled a season-best 115 digs.

The Coyotes grabbed an early 2-0 lead over GCU thanks to their efforts on the attack. They totaled 17 kills in the first set, then backed it up with 18 in the second. Their attack percentage of .304 in the second was a match-high and CSUSB seemed to be in control.

GCU came back in the third set  as CSUSB was just 12-of-25 on sideouts and had only 11 kills.

In the fourth, the Coyotes trailed from the outset, but got going late. Down 24-21, the Coyotes got to within a point after a GCU service ace and a service ace from McIntosh.

That' s when Winchester stepped up with a kill and the Coyotes tied the set at 24-24. After a block from GCU, Winchester came back with a kill to tie at 25-25, but the Coyotes fell and the match was forced to five sets after an attack error from Torline and a GCU service ace.

In the decisive fifth, the set was tied five times and the last was at 12-12.

After a CSUSB timeout, Smith and McIntosh combined on a block assist and Smith then followed with a service ace and the Coyotes had match point.

Solis then ended the match with a kill to advance the Coyotes to the final.

The match featured 47 tie scores and 19 lead changes.

Kaitlynn Ausmus led GCU with 15 kills.