The women’s volleyball team won the NCAA Regionals on Saturday to advance to the Elite Eight. On the brink of elimination, the Leopards completed an improbable come-from-behind win over tournament host Johns Hopkins, 3-2, at the Newton H. White Center in Baltimore.
The Leopards opened the tournament against the Penn State-Behrend Lions on Nov. 20. After dropping a tight first set, La Verne dominated the rest of the way, winning, 3-1.
The following day, La Verne swept St. John Fischer, 3-0.
John Hopkins provided a tougher challenge in the tournament finals Saturday. The Blue Jays won the first two sets, 25-17 and 25-21.
But the Leopards turned the match around, led by senior outside hitter Mya Ray, who finished with 37 kills, 40 points and 21 digs. They won the final three sets, 25-21, 27-25 and 15-13.
Now they are headed to the NCAA Championships, hosted by Illinois Wesleyan at Shirk Center Arena in Bloomington, Illinois.
The Leopards will open the tournament against Wisconsin-Eau Claire at 5 p.m. Pacific Time on Dec. 3. The game can be streamed on leopardathletics.com.
—Karina Rodriguez
Karina Rodriguez is a senior journalism major with a concentration in broadcast journalism, and editor-in-chief of the Campus Times. She has previously served as sports editor, social media editor, arts editor and a staff writer.
