Leopards advance to semis
The University of La Verne volleyball team has been there before and it showed.
The Leopards surged past Pacific Lutheran 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 27-25, 25-19) in the NCAA Division III West Region tournament at the University of Redlands on Thursday. That puts the Leopards into the semifinals on Friday against the winner of Redlands-Chapman which is next up.
La Verne might have finished third in the SCIAC but the Leopards have a bunch of players who finished one win short of a national title a year ago. So they know what it takes when it's all on the line.
Crista Jones delivered 23 kills and 20 digs while Anna Calmer added 14. Yesenia Lopez and Kendall Kraiss combined for 50 assists. Lopez also collected a team-high 21 digs.
That also makes the SCIAC 2-for-2 on the day with the Bulldogs still to play. Cal Lutheran defeated Puget Sound earlier in the day. It goes to show that the SCIAC deserved all three entrants.
About Michelle
Michelle Gardner has been a staff writer for The Sun and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin since 2002 and has covered the local college sports scene since 2004. She ventured West after working at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale for eight years and is a graduate of the University of Florida.
E-mail Michelle here.
Leave a comment