MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Cal State Los Angeles rallied from a 2-1 set deficit and upset third-ranked Wayne State 26-24,21-25, 12-25, 25-15, 15-12 Thursday in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Championships at the UPMC Events Center at Robert Morris University.
The opening set saw the Golden Eagles rally from a 19-14 deficit and one set point to take the early advantage.
Senior outside hitter Kelsie Cada had a strong start for WSC posting three kills and a service ace in the first eight Wildcats points for an early 8-6 advantage.
The Wildcats built the lead to 14-11 and following a Maggie Brahmer kill and CSLA attack error took their biggest lead of the set at 19-14. WSC still held a 23-20 cushion and had set point at 24-23 following a Cada kill, but Cal State Los Angeles closed the set with a kill, WSC error and Golden Eagle service ace to rally for the win.
The second set saw the Wildcats break away from a 10-10 tie with freshman Channatee Robles posting eight kills in the set to help Wayne State win 25-21. With the score tied at 10-10, a pair of Robles kills along with back-to-back kills by Cada capped a 7-1 Wildcat scoring run giving the 'Cats control of the set at 17-11.
The 'Cats hit .425 in the set with 17 kills and no errors to even the match, led by Robles’ eight kills.
In the third set Wayne State continued their momentum, building an 11-4 lead, and the Wildcats cruised to the 2-1 advantage.
With WSC leading 5-4 early in the third set, the 'Cats scored six straight points that included three Brahmer kills, a pair of Brahmer and Rachel Walker blocks and a Cada/Brahmer block to grab an 11-4 advantage. With a 12-7 lead, Wayne State scored seven points in a row highlighted by a trio of kills from Robles to put the 'Cats in front 19-7.
Wayne State hit .308 in the third set with Robles, Beller and Brahmer each posting four kills. The 'Cats had four blocks in the set, led by Walker with three.
The fourth set saw the Golden Eagles rebound quickly, taking a 10-0 lead on the Wildcats forcing a pair of early WSC timeouts. The 'Cats got as close as 13-7 following a service ace by Walker but Cal State Los Angeles went on to score six of the next seven points to thwart any Wildcat rally and tie the match at two sets apiece.
Wayne State got off to a strong start in the fifth set, taking a 4-1 lead thanks to a kill by Beller and service ace from Robles. But Cal State Los Angeles responded with six straight points for a 7-4 lead. The Golden Eagles extended that advantage to 11-7, but Wayne State had one last surge with two kills from Robles and a Golden Eagle attack error to close within 11-10. CSLA came out of the timeout and scored the next two points and finished the come-from-behind victory.
Robles posted a career-high 20 kills to lead the Wildcats while hitting .340 in the match. Beller contributed 16 kills with Brahmer posting 13 and Cada 11. Brahmer had four blocks for WSC followed by Walker and Beller with three apiece.
Senior defensive specialist Havyn Heinz had 20 digs in the match followed by senior libero Jordan McCormick with 18 and Cada 12. Senior setter Rachel Walker was credited with 51 set assists.
Five seniors played their final match for Wayne State volleyball — Ally Beresford, Kelsie Cada, Havyn Heinz, Jordan McCormick and Rachel Walker.
The Wildcats end the season 31-3.
