DATE	TIME	LOCATION	OPPONENT	LIVE STATS	LIVE VIDEO
Dec. 9	4:00 p.m.	UPMC Events Center	Cal State LA	vs CSLA	vs CSLA

 

GAME NOTES | NCAA BRACKET

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa- The No. 5 nationally ranked Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M (33-3, 14-2 LSC) will meet the Cal State LA Golden Eagles (23-10, 15-3 CCAA) in the NCAA Division II National Finals today, Dec. 9 at 4:00 p.m CT in the UPMC Events Center in Moon Township, Pa. 
 
LIVE COVERAGE
All matches for the NCAA Division II National Tournament will be covered by the host, Clarion Athletic communication department, with streaming on NCAA.com. 
 
Every match of the NCAA National Championship will be available on NCAA.com or through streaming on the OTT app. Fans will be able to purchase each individual match for $9.95 or the full tournament through the NCAA Championship option for $29.99. 
 
TICKET PRICES
● Adult, All Session – $30
● Student, Child, All Session - $15
● Adult, Single Session – $12
● Student, Child, Single Session – $7
● Groups of 10 or more, Single Session -$5
Tickets can be pre- purchased online at NCAA.com/tickets or at the door. UPMC Events Center is a cashless operation; CASH will NOT be accepted at the ticket box office.
 
A WIN WOULD...
The Lady Buffs are going for their 5th National Championship title today. This is the sixth oppotunity for WT Volleyball making it to the National Championship match with a winning record of 4-1 in the final match of the season. The Lady Buffs find their way back again for a second year in a year defending their title with the last time this happened in 1990 and 1991 where WT won back-to-back for the first time. 
 
THE HISTORY
The Lady Buffs and Golden Eagles have two matches in their history. The exact dates are Set. 17, 1988 and Sept. 14, 1990 where the Lady Buffs walked away with two clean sweeps over the Golden Eagles. 
 
SCOUTING CAL STATE L.A.
The Golden Eagles are led by seventh year head coach Juan Figueroa who are making their first National Championship match in program history and the first for a women's team sport at Cal State LA in the NCAA-era that started in 1982. 
 
The Golden Eagles are led in kills by outside hitter Emily Elliott who has 579 kills averaging 4.71 per set. Elliott leads the teams in points with an astounding 5.60 points per set. Against Wayne State in the first round of the National tournament, Elliott produced 30 kills against the No. 2 team in the nation marking almost half of their total kills (66) that match. The offense is run by senior setter Eliza Cannon who has 712 assists/6.25 per set. Defensivley the back row is split by Lane Henke (387 digs) and Jameson Sanders (306 digs). Middle blocker Haley Roundtree leads in blocks with 129 this season. 
 
LADY BUFF BY THE NUMBERS 
The Lady Buffs are led by fifth year head coach Kendra Potts who was selected the National Coach of the Year (2022). 
 
The Lady Buffs are led in kills by senior Torrey Miller with 391 kills this season and just 19 kills short of 2,000 career kills, tying for the second most in Lady Buff history. Offensively the Lady Buffs run a 6-2 offense led by Ainsley Malis (834 assists) and Blair Moreland (583). Libero Bryli Contreras leads the back row with 643 digs averaging 4.83 per ranking 41st in the nation.  Protecting the front line is middle blocker Taytum Stow with 155 blocks, ranking 3rd in the nation for total blocks. 
 
The Lady Buffs have multiple weapons on the court with five WT volleyball players selected for All-America honors this season with Miller leading the way becoming a four-time All-American, followed by two-time All-American Stow and three first time selections in Contreras, Emma Becker and Carly Evetts. 
 
Evetts leads in being the most effective hitter for the Lady Buffs with the highest percentage at .338% meaning she has less errors on her attempts. Becker led most of the season in kills (375) before being surpassed in the National tournament by veteran Miller. 
 
An unsung hero of the starting six is senior defensive specialist Emma Patterson who averages 2.22 digs per set and makes clutch plays in the big moments for the Lady Buffs. 
 
IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
WT is one of four teams ranked in the AVCA national polls at the Elite Eight. The Lady Buffs come in at #5, while Tampa is ranked #1, Wayne State is #3 and Missouri-St. Louis is #4. 
 
A LOOK AT THE BRACKET
Eight teams entered and only two remain with the West Texas A&M Lady Buffs taking on the Cal State L.A. Golden Eagles in the NCAA National Championship Finals. WT defeated Clarion and TNo. 1 ampa to advance with CSLA having defeated No. 3 Wayne State and No. 4 Missouri St. Louis.   
 
WT HEAD COACH KENDRA POTTS
Kendra Potts is in her fifth season at the helm of Lady Buff Volleyball with an overall 124-23 (.842) record and 67-12 (.848) in league play.  Potts led her alma mater to the program's 4th NCAA National Championship after capturing the South Central Regional title to become the sixth head coach in program history to guide WT to the Elite Eight. Coach Potts was named the AVCA Division II National Head Coach of the Year following her 33-4 record and 26 game winning streak for the 2022 season. This is the third consecutive year that Potts has led the Lady Buffs to the Elite Eight National tournament. 
 
MAKE IT A DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Four players have recorded double-doubles this season with Torrey Miller, Ainsley Malis, Blair Moreland and Emma Becker totaling 22. Torrey Miller leads the category with 13 on the season which includes 217 kills and 19 digs. Malis is second with six followed by Moreland with two and Becker with one, her first in her career at WT coming from the last regular season match against Texas A&M International with 15 kills and 10 digs.