SAN FRANCISCO — Saturday night's sweep of San Francisco State earned the Cal State Monterey Bay volleyball team a return trip to The Swamp as the Otters clinched a berth in the CCAA Championship Tournament starting Nov. 16.

CSUMB's win, combined with Stanislaus State's sweep of Humboldt State Saturday night, locks the Otters into fourth place in the CCAA North Division. The top four teams all advance to the CCAA Tournament to face the top four teams from the CCAA South.

CSUMB got off to a blazing start Saturday then held off a spirited comeback effort from the Gators. After breezing in the opener, the Otters pulled away late to win the second before saving a pair of set points to wrap up the third. Back-to-back kills by Maddy Underwood (Spokane, Wash./Mead HS) broke a 26–26 tie to secure the win.

Anela Visesio (Seaside HS) led the Otter offense with 16 kills Saturday. Underwood added 14 kills while Ashlynne Armstrong (Norco HS) anchored the back row with match–high 19 digs.
 

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THE MATCH WAS OVER WHEN… consecutive kills by Maddy Underwood broke a 26–26 tie in the third set.

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS NONE… CSUMB clinched its bid to the CCAA Tournament thanks to a Stanislaus State sweep of Humboldt State Saturday night in Turlock. While it is possible for both teams to finish with identical CCAA records, the Otters swept the season series with Humboldt to claim the first tie–breaker.

WHERE NO OTTER HAS GONE BEFORE… CSUMB will be playing in the volleyball postseason for the first time since joining the NCAA Division II ranks for the 2004 season. CSUMB made just one postseason appearance at the NAIA level, advancing to the second round of the Cal–Pac Conference Tournament in 2003.

A HELPING HAND… Erica Chapa jumped two places on the CSUMB single–season assists list by dishing 39 helpers Saturday in The City. Chapa now has 862 assists in 2017, good for the No. 3 spot. She passed Dana Grimm (824 in 2008) and Nicki Sanderson (844 in 2006).

LEADERS OF THE RAFT… POINTS: Anela Visesio 16.5; KILLS: Anela Visesio 16; BLOCKS: Chandler McKean/Amber Tygart/Anela Visesio 1; ACES: Maddy Underwood 2; DIGS: Ashlynne Armstrong 19.

THE LAST WORD… "Wow! What a great response. We were far from perfect, but we went out and played with effort, enthusiasm and we executed. Anela did a great job playing confidently and Erica really ran the floor. I? am so happy for our program and for our seniors in particular, we've been together since the start and have been working towards being able to play in the post season for a long time. This team is hungrier than I've ever seen. I'm so excited to watch them work over the next two weeks." — CSUMB Head Coach Moe Melhart

THEY'VE GOT NEXT… The Otters return home for their final two regular season matches, starting with a rematch against Chico State. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.