Women’s Volleyball Sweeps Caldwell to Advance to NCAA Semifinals

Women’s volleyball took the court Thursday night (Nov 30) for the NCAA Division II Tournament East Region Quarterfinals. The top seeded Chargers took on 8th seeded Caldwell University. The Chargers swept Caldwell in three sets, moving them onto the semifinals of the tournament.

In the first set, the NE-10 champions came out in championship form. The Chargers were able to get out to a quick 6-1 lead. Caldwell came out flat and the Chargers were able to take advantage. Midway through the set, Caldwell cut the Chargers lead to 15-11 on a kill by Freshman Kali Greathead that landed out of bounds. The Chargers continued their dominance throughout the set, but made some mistakes to allow the Cougars to stick around. With the set at 19-16, the Chargers made a three- point run to get ahead 21-16 forcing a Caldwell timeout. Following the timeout, New Haven went on a four- point run while only allowing two Cougar points. The Chargers won the set 25-18 on a put back kill by senior Lexis Peterson.

In the second set, the Chargers continues their dominance by getting out to a 7-1 lead before the crowd could get back to their seats. The Cougars looked flustered and it showed by their style of play. As play went on the Cougars gathered themselves, forcing the Chargers to make self -inflicting mistakes. The Cougars cut the Chargers lead to 9-7, and looked to cause more damage.

With momentum on their side, Caldwell continued to cut the deficit play after play. Midway through the set the Charger led 17-12 with momentum sliding back and forth. The Chargers had lost their early dominance, but they were still finding ways to get points when they needed them the most. The Chargers rallied back to get out to a five- point lead, to lead the set 21-16. With momentum shifting in New Haven’s favor, the Chargers got out to a 23-17 lead forcing another Caldwell timeout. Much like the first set Caldwell’s timeout only rested a hungry Chargers team as they were able to win the set 25-19 on a floater by junior Kristine Rios.

In the third set, Caldwell came out with momentum, getting out to an early 3-0 lead for the first time. The Chargers didn’t respond well and went down 8-4. After some back and forth kills, the Chargers were able to cut the deficit to 8-7. With the Chargers yearning for a spark, they were able to cut the deficit to 12-11, but Caldwell wasn’t letting off the gas pedal. The Chargers took the lead for the first time in the set on a kill by Rios, but Caldwell responded on the next possession tying the set at 13. Every lead the Chargers got, the Cougars responded with a point of their own. Back and forth they went, neither side giving up an inch. Finally, the Chargers took a two- point lead on two kills by Greathead to give them some breathing room. The Chargers scored another point on a service error by Caldwell to make the set 20-17. After taking a 23-19 lead, the Chargers looked like they were regaining the confidence to finish this one in straight sets. The Chargers were able to win the set 25-20, sweeping the Caldwell Cougars three sets to none.

The Charger will move on to the NCAA Division II East Region Semifinals on Friday December 1 at 7:30 pm.