California Lutheran University's men's volleyball team has made the Lillis Athletic & Wellness Center their home.
“You’ve got to like the fact that it’s purple,” CLU head coach Kevin Judd said. “Our colors.”
A week after winning the NCAA Division III regional tournament on the campus of Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, the Kingsmen returned last weekend to claim the top prize.
Michael Staal had 23 kills, Taylor Marks had 43 assists and 10 digs as the Kingsmen defeated Vassar College 25-22, 25-23, 25-23 in the NCAA Division III national championship on Sunday. won over.
“The last two weeks showed we're 17-strong,” Judd said.
Staal, a senior at Northridge who transferred from Moorpark, was named Most Valuable Player.
“I had a feeling Michael was going to have the biggest fight of his life,” Judd said.
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The national championship was the program's first this year and CLU's second, joining the women's soccer team's national championship in December.
With this win, the Kingsmen join the 2023 women's soccer team, 2017 baseball team, 2015 women's volleyball team, 2010 and 2007 women's water polo teams, and the 1971 football team as Cal Lutheran teams. , won the national championship. The soccer titles were at the NAIA level.
Jordan Cooper and Ben Weber each added seven kills for the Kingsmen (26-5), who defeated Vasser in four games during the tournament in January.
“They're all incredibly talented,” Judd said of the players. “We definitely had the physicality. And they had the right values, so I brought that to their attention the first week of regionals.”
Judd took the team into a conference room and reminded them of all the effort they put in during the season. He helped the team narrow down his four core values: adaptability, hard work, passion, and sacrifice.
“We wanted them to recognize and believe in what we've done,” Judd said.
The Kingsmen lived up to these values during their epic first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
In the first round on April 19, CLU defeated Dominican (Ill.) in four sets 21-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-20, with Cooper recording 16 kills and Staal 11.
In the Elite Eight on April 20, CLU survived an epic five-set battle against host Loras, 25-17, 25-22, 20-25, 23-25, 15-13. Staal led the way with 22 kills and 16 digs. Method.
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CLU returned to Iowa for the second straight week as the Final Four was also held in Dubuque.
“What an advantage,” Judd said. “We went out to meet the guys in the area and get used to the place. That put them in a great position to have a great finish.”
The Kingsman defeated Stevens 20-25, 16-25, 25-22, 25-23, 16-14 in the national semifinals last Friday, coming from a two-set deficit to reach the final.
Cooper had 24 kills and Staal had 23 as CLU improved to 5-0 in five-set matches.
The final was CLU's first sweep of the postseason and 14th sweep of the season.
CLU led 18-14 in the first set. Cooper's solo block gave the Kingsmen a 20-17 lead. Staal ended the game with his ninth kill.
The second set was tied at 19-19, but Staal had three kills in a row and Boris Horiuk added another point to take a late 23-20 lead.
The third set was a close match, 10-10, 15-15, 20-20. Cooper's first ace gave the Kingsmen the final lead they needed, 22-21.
Nine years after being tasked with starting the program at the Gilbert Center, Judd won a national championship despite missing a year and a half due to the pandemic.
“One of the things that (CLU women's volleyball coach) Kelly Rowsell and I both knew when we were promoting men's volleyball is that this is Southern California, a hotbed for men's volleyball,” Judd said. he said. “It's certainly going to take time to put Cal Lu on the map. And it certainly took time to build the program.
“I remember the recruits saying, ‘You guys are new.’ … I just kept chasing quality players and kept believing in the fact that we could get there one day.”
Joe Curley is a staff writer at The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more information, follow @vcspreps. twitterInstagram and Facebook.