Cal Lutheran takes SCIAC Tourney; Panthers playoff fate on hold

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – With an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III playoffs on the line, top-seeded host and No. 8-ranked Cal Lutheran was too much for the visiting No. 21-ranked Chapman University volleyball team, as the Regals swept the Panthers (25-18, 25-18, 25-18) in the SCIAC Tournament finals at the Gilbert Arena on Saturday night.

Defending West Region champion Cal Lutheran (27-4) advances to the NCAA playoffs for the fifth straight year and seventh time in eight seasons while second-place Chapman (23-6) must have its fate decided by the Division III selection committee. The Panthers will await the announcement which will be made during an 8 a.m. selection show on NCAA.com on Monday.

SCIAC Player of the Year Kylie McLogan and Freshman of the Year Allie Eason each tallied 13 kills for Cal Lu, which hit .290 for the match. The Regals earned a sizable advantage in the serving game with 10 aces to Chapman's three. Eason finished with five of those aces to lead the West Region's top-ranked team.

Chapman hit .264 as a team, led by All-SCIAC first teamers senior OH Ashleigh Gideon (11 kills, .333 pct.) and sophomore MB Val Geiger (10 kills, .474 pct.). Division III assists leader, junior S Corrine Ostrovsky finished with 35 assists in the three sets.

Despite the loss, senior MB Kate Ferrin earned a milestone on Saturday night with eight kills to put her over 1,000 for her career. She is currently ranked No. 5 all-time in Chapman history with 1,001 kills over her four-year career.

The rubber match between the two teams was similar to their most recent meeting, in which Cal Lutheran swept Chapman on its home floor in Orange in the second-to-last match of the regular season last week. The Panthers had defeated the Regals in four sets in Thousand Oaks in September.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/wvball/2012-13/boxscores/20121103_9kvd.xml

Become a fan of Chapman Athletics on Facebook
Follow Chapman Athletics on Twitter @ChapmanSports
#CUPanthers