THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - As the third-ranked team in the nation, Cal Lutheran was already guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championships.
The Regals didn't need the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's automatic bid.
But any time there's a title at stake, the Regals want to win.
Junior outside hitter Allie Eason had 14 kills and 17 digs as top-seeded CLU captured its third straight SCIAC Tournament title with a 25-19, 26-24, 25-18 sweep of second-seeded Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday night in front of a vocal crowd at Gilbert Arena.
CLU (29-2) will be making its seventh straight NCAA tournament appearance and ninth in the last 10 years. The NCAA pairings will be announced Monday at 8 a.m.
"Regardless of what is on the line, we come out and do our best and want to win every game, every set and every point," Eason said. "We never want to leave anything to chance."
After capturing the first set, CLU trailed No. 18 CMS (24-4) for a majority of the second set before rallying late. The Regals managed to stave off three set points before winning the set when CMS's Abigail Hickman sent a kill attempt long.
It was hard for either team to stay in rhythm with lengthy discussions between the coaches and officials delaying the match by at least 30 minutes before the start of the third set.
The teams finally begin play again to huge applause from the impatient fans.
"That happened the last time we played them. We were down the first two sets and the fire alarm went off," said Eason, a Buena High graduate. "It's been two crazy matches with them. But I am proud of the way we pulled it out in the second set and kept believing in each other."
The turning point in the third set came when Hannah Orlandi made two great defensive plays to keep the point alive and Eason finished it off with a kill to give CLU a 14-13 lead.
The Regals would remain in front the remainder of the set, and clinched the title on a kill by Michelle Lawrence that sent the Regals streaming onto the court.
Lawrence finished with seven kills, 14 digs and three block assists. Kennedy Peters had 21 assists for and Jena Chavez had 15.
CLU reached the NCAA final last season before suffering a grueling five-set loss. The Regals are ready to begin their journey back, and have a good chance to host the NCAA regional.
"It has been a really long season. We have faced a lot of adversity and nobody seems to remember this is a brand-new team," CLU head coach Kellee Roesel said. "I am just so proud of the leadership. The returners have just paved the way for these kids and just wouldn't accept anything less."
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