Thursday, November 30, 2023
by Evan O'Kelly, Assistant Commissioner For Communications

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Host No. 2 seed #10 Cal State San Bernardino defended its home court on Thursday night at the NCAA Division II West Region Championships, handing No. 7 seed #20 Central Washington a 3-0 defeat (25-13, 25-22, 25-18) at Coussoulis Arena.

The Coyotes (25-4) started hot and never looked back, earning a second-round matchup against No. 3 seed Cal Poly Pomona (22-7) on Friday night. Central Washington’s season came to an end with a record of 20-7, and the Wildcats finished as the Great Northwest Athletic Conference runners-up going 14-4 in league play.

Tia Andaya put the finishing touches on her standout career, delivering 31 assists, four kills and four digs. Andaya completed a GNAC-record 14 triple-doubles during her collegiate career playing for her father CWU head coach Mario Andaya.

Sophomore Scottie Ellsworth had a team-high 10 kills on a .364 hitting percentage Thursday, while Kylie Thorne added six kills and Emma Daoud-Hebert had five. CWU put forth a solid .233 attack percentage but could not stand up to CSUSB’s mark of .440.

Trinity Sheridan led the hosts to victory with a match-leading 15 kills on a .520 hitting percentage, while Ashley Robinson (12 kills) and Jenna Patton (10 kills) also reached double figures for the Coyotes. Marlee Nunley did her part with a match-high 40 assists, while four different Coyotes had seven digs in the match. Taryn King was a force at the net with four block assists.

Wildcats In The NCAA Tournament

Thursday marked the 11th consecutive season CWU advanced to the NCAA West Region Championships dating back to the 2012 season and the 14th regional tournament the team has participated in since the GNAC was founded in 2001. CWU is 4-14 overall in the NCAA regionals and is 0-9 in regional playoff matches against the Coyotes during that time span.