College Volleyball : UCSD Rallies to Win Its Third NCAA Division III Title

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — UC San Diego defeated host Calvin College, 15-4, 10-15, 3-15, 15-3, 15-5, Saturday to win its third NCAA Division III volleyball championship.

“We did it with good, old California ball-handling and good, steady team play,” UCSD Coach Doug Dannevik said.

A crowd of 3,300 watched Calvin get to within one game of the championship, only to be stopped by back-to-back, one-sided defeats.

“We didn’t pass the ball well in the second and third games,” Dannevik said. “We were much steadier in the fourth and fifth games. And I think we were mentally tougher because of the competition we’ve played.”

UCSD’s Carol Lipson, a junior outside hitter, made 32 passes without an error and had 16 digs. Leading UCSD in kills were Monica Bradley, 11; Lori Luhnow, 10 with 4 service aces; and Janet Hughes, 10 with 4 solo blocks. Bradley, Lipson and Kim Stonecipher made the all-tournament team.

UCSD finished with a 42-6 record. Calvin was 37-2.

The University of San Diego ended a winless season with a 15-6, 15-3, 15-2 loss at Pepperdine.

Julie Evans led all players with nine kills for Pepperdine, which ended its season with a 9-3 record in the West Coast Athletic Conference and 18-16 overall. The Toreros were led by Gina Trapletti and Jennifer Long, who had five kills each. USD finished 0-12 and 0-21.

Loyola Marymount defeated United States International University, 16-14, 5-15, 9-15, 15-12, 15-3, to win the Western Collegiate Athletic Conference volleyball championship. USIU finished third behind second-place Pepperdine.