ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Danielle Dahle (La Mesa/Grossmont HS) pounded a match-high 20 kills as the UC San Diego women's volleyball team stunned 18th-ranked Sonoma State, 3-1, in an NCAA Division II West Regional quarterfinal match Friday at the Alaska Airlines Center.
Scores were 15-25, 25-18, 25-17 and 25-20.
UCSD (20-11), the tournament's sixth seed, advances to Saturday's semifinals and will meet No. 16 Western Washington at 7:00 p.m. PT. The second-seeded Vikings defeated seventh-seeded Point Loma, 3-0, in Friday's second quarterfinal.
Third-seeded SSU, the 2014 West Region champion and 2015 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season and tournament titlist, ends its year at 26-4.
UC San Diego snapped Sonoma State's 22-match win streak, the second-longest in the nation.
The Tritons got off to a sluggish start, hitting just .040 (7-6-25) in the opening set. However, they quickly turned things around by hitting .400 (16-2-35) in the second frame and finished the match at .221 (50-18-145). They had 8.0 blocks to the Seawolves' 4.0.
Dahle, who had seven of her 20 kills in the third set, attacked at .314 overall with only four errors in 51 attempts. The senior outside hitter also added six digs, two service aces and two blocks.
Junior outside Meagan Wright (San Diego/Bonita Vista HS) notched a double-double with 14 kills and 15 digs. Sophomore libero Amanda Colla (Carlsbad/San Dieguito Academy) led all players with 23 digs, while senior setter Heidi Sierks had 42 assists and freshman libero Kayla Evans (San Diego/Del Norte HS) totaled 17 digs and a pair of aces. Sophomore middle Rebecca Seaberry blocked four attacks.
For the Seawolves, Lexi Reddick finished with 14 kills and seven digs. Caylie Seitz, the 2015 D2CCA West Region Player of the Year and CCAA Player of the Year, had nine kills but was held to .050 (9-7-40) hitting. Kaitlyn Connolly had 21 digs, while Calan Seitz recorded a double-double with 18 assists and 17 digs.
Overall, SSU hit .205 (52-20-156) and gave away nine points on ball handling errors.
It was just the second time this season that the two CCAA squads had played each other. On Oct. 3 in Rohnert Park, Calif., the Seawolves held on for a 3-2 victory.
Western Washington is 24-5 overall. The Tritons are 7-4 all-time against the Vikings.
The Tritons have qualified for NCAA postseason play in 33 of the last 35 seasons.
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