Thursday, December 3
5:00 p.m. - Gangelhoff Center - St. Paul, Minn.
#6 University of Tampa (31-3) vs. #2 Cal State San Bernardino (33-1)
BOX SCORE - PHOTOS - PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEO
RECAP: ST. PAUL, Minn. - #2 Cal State San Bernardino defeated #6 University of Tampa in the third of four quarterfinal games at the Gangelhoff Center this evening. After dropping the first set 21-25, the Coyotes went on to defeat the Spartans 25-20, 25-22, 25-20. Cal Stat San Bernardino moves to 33-1 on the season and will face the winner of #1 Concordia University, St. Paul vs. University of Indianapolis.
The Coyotes were led by Jane Chafeh who ended the match with 16 kills, hitting at .205 percent. Setter Sara Hoffman set up her teammates 54 times in the match, notching 54 set assists in tonight's match. The Coyotes dropped the first set but that motivated them to put on an offensive attack that proved to be too tough for the University of Tampa to handle.
Melissa Vanderhall brought her big arm with her to tonight's game. The junior ended the match with 18 kills on 49 attempts for .265 percent. Vanderhall served a tough game and forced the Coyotes to play tough defense. Meghan Sherman surpassed 2,000 career assists in tonight's match. The junior recorded 42 assists in the quarterfinal match-up with Cal State San Bernardino.
#2 Cal State San Bernardino advances to the semifinals and will play the winner of the CSP vs. Indianapolis game at 7:30 p.m. at the Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul, Minn. tomorrow night.
University of Tampa Match Notes: The Spartans head into the Elite Eight as the sixth-ranked team in the nation ... Tampa holds a 31-3 record on the 2009 season ... Before tonight, their last loss occurred Oct. 3 to then #23 Saint Leo ... There only other loss of the season was at the hands of #1 Concordia University, St. Paul on Sept. 5 in the Colorado Premier tournament ... Tampa earned its 12th regional title ... The Spartans last appearance in the finals came in 2007 ... They won their first ever national championship in 2006 ... Tampa is 0-5 against Cal State Bernardino ... The Spartans lost their last match against Cal State Bernardino in the 2003 NCAA quarterfinals ... Meghan Sherman has surpassed 2,000 assists in her career with () assists tonight.
Cal State Bernardino Match Notes: The Coyotes are 33-1 overall, have won 14 consecutive matches and are ranked second nationally by the American Volleyball Coaches Association ... Cal State San Bernardino is making its 10th consecutive and overall NCAA Tournament appearance at the Division II level with a 28-9 all-time tournament record ... The Coyotes are making their fourth Elite 8 appearance and second consecutive trip ... They are 3-3 overall with a runner-up finish last season and a third-place showing in 2003 ... They have won four West Region Championships in the last seven years and have competed in the West Region finals 10 consecutive seasons ... The Coyotes are paired with Tampa in the National Quarterfinals for the second time, also playing in 2003 when Cal State San Bernardino was tournament host ... The Coyotes advanced to the National Semifinals in four sets ... Cal State San Bernardino is 5-0 all-time against Tampa.
UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA QUOTES:
Head Coach Chris Catanach
Opening Statement: “We're disappointed. I thought they were a better team. I'll look back at that and it will drive me to do a better job coaching and drive us to be a better team."
On pressure put on offensive game-plan: "Very aggressive serving. The match turned in game two where we got caught in a rotation and could not side-out. We knew what they were going to do. We just didn't have the same speed or athleticism that they had. When you're trying to think about defense your offense struggles. Their aggressive attack kept us at bay."
On motivation during time out: "I thought they were getting tight and afraid to do some things. I told them to just go after it and not think about whether we're losing or stuck in a rotation. We had to think about one thing and that is getting that side-out."
Junior setter Meghan Sherman
On on opponents block: “Their blocking was really strong. It helped keep our offense back. Their setter is really good and lets their outsides get a lot of swings. Their hands get over the net well. It was a big challenge tonight."
Junior outside hitter Melissa Vanderhall
On mind set with ball in hand: "At that point, we had nothing to lose. You just have to go out there and get the point."
CAL STATE BERNARDINO QUOTES:
Head Coach Kim Chernis
Opening statement: “It was a well-played match on both sides of the net. They really had us on the ropes for the first game and a half. We had to make some changes we were not comfortable with but we settled down and countered Tampa’s offensive attack.”
On their blocking game: “Statistically, they are a left-side driven team and they get most of their kills from there. They run what we call a zero tempo offense to slow down our middles and try to open things up on the outside. We had to make some adjustments and make sure the left side had a double block.”
On motivation after first set: “I wanted them to calm down a bit. We made some bonehead plays. We were a little nervous and we seemed to be waiting for the game to come to us. I told them that they had to stay invested in the play.”
Senior outside hitter Ashtin Hall
On momentum switch: “We’re just not ready to be done yet. Some people stepped up and got in other people’s faces. We calmed down and picked up our game.”
Junior outside hitter Jane Chafeh
On energy off of the bench: “Our bench is a huge support for us. They are always there to pick us up.”
On blocking game-plan: “We had to adjust with our middles and get them to the outside. I had to focus on the things we work on in practice and execute those things.”
