SAN FRANCISCO (November 17, 2017) — Time to make room for another banner.
Title time
CSUSB continued its CCAA dominance this century, capturing its 13
th conference title in a 3-1 victory over Chico State in the conference tournament final Saturday night at San Francisco State. The Coyotes won their 10
th straight match and their 16
th in the last 18 matches by playing to their strengths.
All-Tourney team
CCAA player of the year
Lauren Nicholson added her second tournament MVP honor in as many years. She led with a match-high 19 kills with 14 digs in CSUSB's 18-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-21 victory. Nicholson was joined on the all-tourney team with junior S
Jayann DeHoog (44 assists, six digs) and freshman OH
Alexis Cardoza, who ripped 18 kills and hit .312 with nine digs.
Stepping up when needed
Sophomores
Moira Murphy and
Kaili Scott both gave the Coyotes needed depth. Murphy came through with 11 kills with three block assists, and Scott had three block assists. Murphy had four kills in both the third and fourth set.
Critical moments
Trailing 1-0, the Coyotes and Wildcats were tied at 17-all in the second when CSUSB broke through with momentum. A block from DeHoog and Scott , helped by a Chico State attack error put the Coyotes up 19-17 and remained out front. The third set was tied at 16-16 until the Coyotes struck with a 6-0 run with Murphy throwing down two kills with a pair of block assists teamed up with Scott.
And the fourth
Tied at 17-17, Cardoza struck with an ace, and a block from
Hailey Jackson put the Coyotes up 19-17.
What's next
CSUSB now moves on to its 18th straight NCAA appearance, beginning Nov. 30 at what is presumed to be top-seed Cal Baptist. The NCAA will make its tourney announcement at 4:30 p.m. Monday at
www.ncaasports.com.
Coach Says
"So impressed with the grit and resolve of this team,'' head coach
Kim Cherniss said. "All weekend long, our opponents were throwing everything they had at us and trying to extend their seasons. Our girls kept responding. Alexis had a fantastic weekend, and we're very proud of Moira and Kaili for stepping up off the bench and having a huge impact on the match.''
