SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The California State University San Bernardino women's volleyball team kicks off the NCAA West Regional against top-seeded Point Loma Nazarene University on Thursday evening.

Last Meeting

The Coyotes rallied from a two sets to none deficit to knock off the Sea Lions in five on September 6. The Coyotes won all three matches at Point Loma's season-opening Seaside Invitational.

How They Got Here

CSUSB enters the match at 22-5, finishing in second place in the CCAA with a 15-3 record and defeated San Francisco State in straight sets in the CCAA Tournament final to earn an automatic berth to the tournament on November 22.

Point Loma enters the match at 24-4. They were PacWest co-regular season champions along with Fresno Pacific, who defeated them in five sets in the PacWest Tournament Final. They earned theW West Region's first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Players to Watch

The Coyotes will be led by junior Kacie Pedersen (Riverside, Calif.) who earned recently All-CCAA First Team and CCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player honors. She enters the match with 423 kills and a .252 attack percentage. CSUSB had four CCAA All-Conference Second Team selections in Jayden Chornomud (Canyon Lake, Calif.), M'Kera Drake (San Bernardino, Calif.), McKenna Edwards (Santa Clarita, Calif.), and Kisa Sagiao (San Diego, Calif.), who should be factors.

Point Loma will be led by PacWest  and West Region Player of the Year Abigail Nua as well as three other First Team All-PacWest selections, including PacWest Libero of the Year Macy Reynolds.

From the Coach's Desk

"I am very excited to have our program back in the NCAA Tournament," said legendary Coyote head coach Kim Cherniss. "I think we are playing our best volleyball of the season at this point, which is the best scenario a coach could ask for. It is a tough field of opponents, but I certainly think our team is prepared and ready for the challenge."

All the Details

Thursday's opening round contest between the Coyotes and the Sea Lions will take place at Golden Gymnasium in San Diego, California. First serve is slated for 4:30 p.m. Tickets, free live streaming, and live stats are all available on the women's volleyball schedule page at CSUSBAthletics.com.