Comeback halts Sonoma State's volleyball run

Sonoma State came ever so close to advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships on Thursday in Louisville.

However, with two sets in hand, the Seawolves couldn’t win the clincher as Southwest Minnesota State made an improbable comeback.

After jumping out to the lead by scores of 26-24 and 25-23, SSU then lost three straight (21-25, 20-25 and 6-15).

Early in the third set, likely everyone in the gym except the Southwest Minnesota players thought Sonoma State would win in three.

The Seawolves had opened an 8-1 lead and still had control at 19-14. Then, the Mustangs scored seven straight to take the advantage and eventually won the set.

SSU had its chances to prevail in four, but the Seawolves were unable to hold a 20-19 lead.

In the fifth, it was 4-4 before Southwest Minnesota scored eight consecutive points to take control.

The first two sets couldn’t have been closer. There were 15 ties and six lead changes in the first and seven tie scores in the second.

“We couldn’t put them away,” Seawolves coach Bear Grassl said. “We had the opportunities.

“In the middle of the third set, they began to match us defensively. Shots that had been kills up to then began coming back.

“They responded and didn’t falter. We played well for a long time but then got a little shaky.”

SSU had four players with more than 10 kills - Kelsey Hull (15), Caylie Seitz (13), Madelyn Densberger (11) and Regan Richert (10).

Hull also had a team-high 14 digs, while Courtney Seda handed out 25 assists, nine more than Calan Seitz.

Southwest Minnesota had the edge in kills (60-53) and blocks (19-7). The Mustangs’ Sarah Parker rejected 11 SSU attacks, while libero Whitney Burmeister contributed a match-high 25 digs to go along with 10 assists. Setter Megan Larson was also effective (38 assists, 10 kills and eight digs).

“We played well for a long time,” Grassl said. “We needed 10 more minutes of playing good and we would’ve advanced.”

Instead, the Seawolves finish the year with a 24-6 record. Along the way, they won CCAA and West Region titles, the latter as the No. 7 seed.

Southwest Minnesota State (24-10) will play Grand Valley State today.