TURLOCK, Calif. - The California State University San Bernardino women's volleyball team defeated Cal State East Bay in four sets Friday afternoon in the semifinals of the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament. Set scores were 25-18, 25-21, 23-25, and 25-16.

With the victory, the Coyotes improve to 21-5 overall and advance to the CCAA Championship, slated for Saturday at 5 p.m. at Fitzpatrick Arena. They will play the winner of the other semifinal between Cal Poly Pomona and San Francisco State, which was in the first set at press time.

The Coyotes got off to a strong start to the contest, taking set one 25-18. Despite falling behind 9-6 early, the Yotes responded with a 14-5 run to take command of the set and eventually cruise to the set one win. Junior Kacie Pedersen led the way with a dominant seven-point performance, hitting .429 in the set. Setter McKenna Edwards (Santa Clarita, Calif.) kept the Pioneer defense on their toes, with three kills on three attacks while also dishing out nine assists.

Pedersen stayed sharp in set two, picking up seven of Cal State San Bernardino's 11 kills, and the Coyotes took advantage of eight Cal State East Bay attack errors to go ahead 2-0 in the match. Edwards passed out 10 more assists, while adding two blocks in the set, while redshirt senior Savannah Hoffmann (Rialto, Calif.) had a pair of kills and a .400 attack percentage.

Set three was the tightest of the match, featuring 11 ties and five lead changes, but ultimately the Pioneers extended the match with a 25-23 decision. The Yotes hit .311 in the set, and had six kills each from Hoffmann and Pedersen. 

The Coyotes trailed early in set four, forcing head coach Kim Cherniss to call a timeout. The timeout proved to light a fire under the Yotes, who responded with a 17-5 run, taking a commanding 22-13 lead that proved too much for the Pioneers. Pedersen had eight kills in the set, five of which during the 17-5 run, and the final, fittingly, to clinch the match at 25-16. Junior middle Allison Legates (Los Altos, Calif.) had four kills on five swings in the set, while sophomore Kisa Sagiao (San Diego, Calif.) had a pair of blocks.

Pedersen finished the match with 28 kills, one shy of her career high from earlier this season. She rounded out her double-double with 18 digs in the win. 

Hoffmann also finished in double figures in the victory with 13 kills, while Edwards dished out 45 assists to go with 12 digs. At libero, Jayden Chornomud (Canyon Lake, Calif.) had a match-high 26 digs, matching her season-high. 

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