Box Score LA JOLLA – The last time the Coyotes played a match at RIMAC Arena, it was early September and CSUSB left the venue with a .500 record after the first two weeks of the season.

Twenty matches and 19 wins later, the Coyotes won their eighth consecutive CCAA title and clinched a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the 14^th straight year in exhilarating fashion with a 3-2 victory over No. 12 UC San Diego.

CSUSB, behind 18 kills from sophomore Alexandra Torline, found itself down two sets to none and came roaring back with a 3-2 win Wednesday night – 13-25, 17-25, 25-21, 25-21, 18-16.

"This is a group that has shown the willingness to work hard,'' head coach Kim Cherniss said of her team that improved to 23-5 overall and 19-1 in the CCAA. "We were 4-4 after our first two weeks and wasn't sure where we would be. They take direction so well and are not afraid to pay the price. That we won the CCAA and now going back to the NCAAs is a credit to them for putting in the time with a tremendous amount of hard work.''

Cherniss credited her core group of serve receivers, led by Danielle Newcombe, Arielle McCullough and Jordan Ortega, who put the ball in motion and allowed the Coyotes' offense to flow.

"A year ago we were up 2-0 here and they came back and won,'' Cherniss said. "At the break, we talked about it and said if they did it last year, we can do it, too.''

Down 2-0 after a combined 19 kills and 16 errors, the Coyotes buckled down and worked their way back into the match.

Torline had five kills, while fellow sophomore Ashley Solis had three block assists as the Coyotes grabbed a 12-8 lead for good after a block assist from Newcombe and Brenna McIntosh. Six times UCSD got within a point of the lead, but the Coyotes stayed out front and earned the set with a kill from Solis.

In the fourth set and tied at 12-12, senior Stephanie Sinohui's kill set in motion a four-point run with two kills from Torline and one from McIntosh. Tori May later pushed the lead to five on two occasions with kills and the Coyotes tied the match at 2-2 on a kill from Torline.

The deciding set had 11 ties and six lead changes.

Tied at 12-12, the Coyotes forged ahead 14-12 after a Triton attack error and a kill from Solis.

But UCSD came right back to tie at 14-all and the Coyotes called timeout.

Both teams traded kills to reach 15-15 and the set reached 16-16 after an attack error from UCSD's Sara McCutchan.

And that's when McIntosh, who all season long has been a kingpin on the block, made her way to the big stage. She teamed with Sinohui on a block assist for a 17-16 lead and finished off the set and match with a solo block.

May had a big night on the attack with 15 kills and Solis had 12 for CSUSB, which finished 63-33-194 on the attack in the two-hour, 14-minute match.

McIntosh had two solos and five block assists and Solis had four block assists.

Newcombe and May had three block assists.

UCSD, now 24-4 and 16-4, began the match ranked No. 1 in the NCAA West Region and the Coyotes at the third position. Defending regional champion BYU Hawaii is second.

The NCAA will announce its 64-team field at 4:30 p.m. Monday at www.ncaasports.com.