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Crista Jones goes for a block against Colorado College in the West Region final (Khai Le photo)Leopards Fall To Colorado College In West Region Final
The University of La Verne's postseason push came to an end Saturday evening as Colorado College closed with a decisive 12-2 run in the fifth set to defeat the Leopards in the West Region Championship match at Currier Gymnasium in Redlands.
Set scores were 25-19, 20-25, 21-25, 25-19 and 15-9.
La Verne built a 7-3 lead in the final stanza, but the top-seeded Tigers ran off six straight points to take a 9-7 advantage. Colorado College continued its momentum and won six of the eight points to claim the region title and earn a spot in the NCAA Elite Eight.
In the opening set, the Tigers used a 3-0 run to take a 16-13 lead on the Leopards and stretch the advantage to 19-15 and 23-17 on their way to a 25-19 win. The Tigers hit .381 in the first frame while the Leos hit .235.
The Leopards broke through in the second set by holding the Tigers to a .065 hitting percentage while getting offensive balance from Crista Jones, Catie Logan and Randi Toomay, each of whom totaled 3 kills in the frame. La Verne used a crucial 4-0 run to turn a 9-9 tie into a 13-9 lead. The Leopards would maintain a four-point advantage for much of the set to win 25-20, getting the final point on a kill from Logan.
La Verne (23-14) started strong in the third set, opening an 8-2 advantage. Though the Tigers would slice the deficit to three on several occassions, they could not get closer as the Leos kept their distance to prevail 25-21. La Verne enjoyed its best hitting percentage of the match at .405.
Colorado College (35-4) fought back in the fourth set, getting a three-point lead early and never relinquishing the lead. La Verne got to within a point at 19-18, but the Tigers scored six of the next seven points to close the set at 25-19.
Though the Leopards hit .294 in the fifth set, the Tigers enjoyed a .471 hitting percentage in the final frame to claim victory.
Emily Perkins, who earned Tournament MVP honors, recorded a match-high 21 kills for the Tigers while Meredith Ballard added 13 kills.
Jones finished with 17 kills and 12 digs in her final match as a Leopard, while senior teammate Ashley Morgado added 8 kills and 2 blocks. Freshman Kendall Kraiss (27) and senior Yesenia Lopez (20) combined for 47 assists. Juniors Anna Calmer and Chelsea Sleight posted 12 kills and 23 digs, respectively.
Jones and Sleight represented La Verne on the All-Tournament Team.
