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Box Score
ST. PAUL, Minn. (Dec. 3) – After winning the first set, the Vulcans suffered a 3-1 loss (25-21, 22-25, 20-25, 23-25) to No. 5 West Texas A&M in the quarterfinals of the 2009 NCAA Division II Championship Tournament at the Gangelhoff Center on the campus of No. 1 Concordia, St. Paul.
The California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team finished one of the best seasons in school history with a 36-6 overall record after winning both the Pennsylvania State Athletic (PSAC) and NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships for the third-consecutive season. Meanwhile, West Texas A&M improves to 38-3 this year and will face Flagler (Fla.) in the semifinal round tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 4.
“I’m disappointed in how the season ended but I’m happy with how we came out to play,” said second-year head coach
Stephanie Burner. “We got a little tentative and made too many mistakes in the middle (of the match) to win.”
In her final match of her career, senior outside hitter
Joanna Nist (Rockwood, Pa./Rockwood) registered her 21st kill/dig double-double of the season with 15 kills and 19 digs. Already the program’s all-time leader in service aces and sets played, Nist broke Katie Barker's (2002-05) record for the most kills in a career with 1,897. This year, the PSAC West Athlete of the Year set a career high with 563 kills to rank third in single-season history.
Senior middle hitter
Ludmila Amaral (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Afonso Schimidt) set a season-high with 21 kills on .378 hitting and added five blocks against the Buffaloes. Sophomore middle hitter
Bridget Bielich (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) finished with 17 kills on 30 attempts for a .433 hitting percentage.
Three-time American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American setter
Renata da Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Ateneu) directed the offense with 56 assists and added nine digs and four blocks. She finished her record-setting career with 5,507 assists. Junior libero
Julie Paronish (Hastings, Pa./Northern Cambria) paced the defensive effort for Cal U with a match-high 25 digs, while Nist and senior
Ashley Moore (Yorktown, Va./Grafton) finished with 19 and 17 digs, respectively.
“We made a lot of errors that held us back, “ said da Silva. “We played hard, we tried our best and played with heart, but it wasn’t enough.”
The Vulcans entered the quarterfinals on a 14-match winning streak during which time they won 42 of 49 sets. Over the last three seasons, Cal U has amassed an impressive 111-12 record (.902) with three appearances in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.