Box Score THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Third-ranked California Lutheran had too much firepower for unranked Whitworth in the first round of the NCAA Division III women's volleyball tournament on Friday night at Gilbert Arena.
The top-seeded Regals defeated the 8th-seeded Pirates 25-18, 25-19, 25-17. Whitworth finishes the season with a record of 21-6. CLU improves to 29-2 and advances to play Trinity (Texas) in the second semifinal of the West Regional tournament on Saturday.
Cassandra Mendoza had 14 kills for the Pirates, but she was the only Whitworth player in double figures as the Bucs were held to a team hitting percentage of .097.
The opening set was tied 12-12 after a kill by Mendoza. But CLU went on an 8-3 run to grab a 20-15 lead following a kill from Michelle Lawrence. The Regals closed out the first set with a block.
The second set played out in similar fashion. Mendoza's service ace pulled the Pirates to within 13-12 midway through the frame. But an 8-1 run by CLU extended the lead to 21-13 and Whitworth could not overcome that separation.
The Regals led the final set from the get-go, jumping to leads of 8-3, 13-5 and 18-8 before the Pirates began to rally. Mendoza's final kill of the match cut the margin to 23-17, but Allie Eason stemmed the tide with a kill for CLU and Mendoza was blocked on the match's final play.
Lawrence, a 6-3 sophomore transfer from Colorado State, had 14 kills for the Regals. Eason also had 14 kills without an error. CLU hit .231 as a team.
Maddye Dinsmore, the 2014 Northwest Conference Player of the Year, had 28 assists and 11 digs for the Pirates. Nicole Leonard had nine kills and a team-high 15 digs.
The Pirates managed to win a Northwest Conference title in 2014 without a senior on the roster. Prospects are bright for another strong season in 2015.
Saturday's first semifinal will feature Colorado College against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The regional championship will take place on Sunday.
