Box Score LOS ANGELES – Cal State San Bernardino's women's volleyball time won its sixth CCAA conference championship in the last seven years with a 3-1 victory over host Cal State L.A. before 352 fans in the Eagles Nest.
            
The victory means the Yotes get the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA West Regional which begins Nov. 30, but based on the current region rankings, the host Golden Eagles along with three other CCAA teams will join them there.
            
While this was the team's sixth win since the conference championship was based on the outcome of the tournament that began in 2015, the fact is the Yotes now have 17 CCAA titles to their credit dating back to 2001, their first.
            
CSUSB prevailed 25-19, 18-25, 25-22, 26-24 over Cal State L.A, the 2022 NCAA Division II semifinalists, and now have a 48-27 edge in their all-time series dating back to 1990, 33-6 since 2006 and 8-3 in the last 11 meetings.
            
The Yotes will take a 24-3 record into the regional where they are ranked No. 2 behind Pacific West Conference champion Chaminade of Hawaii in the latest regional poll. L.A. is ranked No. 5, San Francisco State is No. 6, Cal Poly Pomona – a team the Yotes defeated in the CCAA semifinals – is No. 7 and Sonoma State is No. 9.
            
San Bernardino had to overcome a dominating hitting night by CSULA's Emily Elliott, the CCAA player of the year, who bombed away for a match high 29 kills, half of the Golden Eagles offensive production of 58 kills. The Yotes team had only 39 kills.
            
Unfortunately, Elliott and her teammates also committed a bushel full of errors – 34 attack errors, 14 service errors and five receiving errors in the match.
            
The Yotes capitalized on those mistakes with 20 blocks, six of them solo, led by senior Jenna Patton's three solo blocks and 2 block assists. Senior Taryn King had two solo blocks and five block assists and was efficient with her hitting, putting down six kills in eight swings with no errors (.750 hitting).
            
Senior setter Marlee Nunley, the tournament MVP, recorded another double-double with 29 assists and 13 digs and three kills. Graduate student Shira Lahav, the CCAA libero of the year, led both teams in digs with 23 and had two service aces.
            
Junior Ashley Robinson and freshman Kacie Pederson combined for 22 digs in the match. Robinson also had eight kills, many in key moments during the final two sets. Freshman Trinity Sheridan had a quiet first two sets with only two kills, but finished with eight kills and two block assists.
            
The Yotes took a 2-1 lead after three sets after King tied the set at 22-all with a kill off an assist by Nunley. After Elliott misfired on a swing to give CSUSB the lead, Elliott's next swing was blocked by King and Robinson to set up set point, which came when King and Robinson again blocked Elliot's attack for a 25-22 win.
            
The fourth set was even tighter than the third with L.A. rallying each time it fell behind by three points to the Yotes. The set was tied at 15, at 16, at 19, and again at 24 all. Then Elliott set up the Yotes for match point with an errant attack and Robinson put down the match-winning kill for a 26-24 final set result.
            
These two teams have a history in post-season meetings dating all the way back to 2000. That year, L.A. was 30-0 and ranked No. 1 in Division II heading into the Pacific Regional where the Yotes, led by future CCAA hall of famers Kim Morohunfola and Kim Ford, upset the Golden Eagles on their own court 3-2 in the semifinals. 
            
In 2005, in the NCAA regional title game, again at L.A.'s gym, the Golden Eagles beat the Yotes 3-2. CSUSB prevailed over L.A., 3-1 in the 2007 regional semifinals and again in 2009, 3-0, in the regional title match.
            
They met again in 2018 in the CCAA tournament semis and the Yotes won 3-1. In 2019, the Yotes prevailed 3-2 in the CCAA tourney title match and in 2021 the Yotes defeated L.A. 3-1 in the tourney semifinals.
            
Will they meet again in the West Regional? The bracket and location of the tourney is scheduled be announced on Monday, Nov. 20, at 4:30 p.m. at NCAA.com
 
ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM
CSUSB – Marlee Nunley, MVP; Jenna Patton, Trinity Sheridan, Shira Lahav, Taryn King. CAL STATE L.A. – Emily Elliott, Haley Roundtree, Iane Henke.