It's on to the quarterfinals of the 2023 NJCAA D1 Women's Volleyball Championship Tournament for the Lady Cardinals.
The fifth-seeded Lady Cardinals spotted Daytona State a 1-0 advantage in their opener in the event Wednesday night at the Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kan., before hitting stride and walking away a 3-1 winner. The Lady Cardinals won, 18-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-21.
In disposing of the 12th-seeded Falcons, the Lady Cardinals move on to face fourth-seeded Salt Lake tonight at 7. Salt Lake was a hard-earned 3-2 winner against Indian Hills in its opener. At stake is a spot in the semifinals Friday against the Florida Southwestern-Odessa winner.
The Lady Cardinals upped their season record to 31-5 with the win. They are one win away from establishing a school record for wins in a season. Daytona State, with its second loss to the Lady Cardinals this season, fell to 20-10.
After getting off to a 3-0 start in the first set, the Lady Cardinals saw the Falcons seize control with stellar and consistent play at the net. Daytona State took its first lead at 5-4 and never trailed the remainder of the set.
The last three sets were all tightly contested with several ties along the way. The Lady Cardinals, who benefited from playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation this season, found a way to prevail.
In the fourth set, Daytona State led 17-13. The Lady Cardinals rallied to score eight straight points with Genesis Rodriguez at the service line. Neveah Donahoe and Jade Rodriguez each had a kill and Mafer Cisneros Rodriguez an ace serve to help the Lady Cardinals finish the job after going up 21-17.
Among the top performers for the Lady Cardinals were Azul Pilahg (44 assists), Sofia Velez (27 digs), Emma Bednarek and Salas.
Salt Lake brings a 25-6 record into tonight's match against the Lady Cardinals and has won 19 straight. The Lady Cardinals, who own a 3-2 win against the Bruins this season, have won 13 straight.
All matches except the semifinals and Saturday's final day matches will be streamed online at https://www.njcaa.org/network (a subscription fee is required).
