TAFT – Sophomore Jada Dias totaled 20 kills and 19 digs to help lead No. 13-seeded Taft College to a 3-1 win over No. 20 Mendocino College on Saturday in an opening-round match of the 2022 Northern California Regional Playoffs.
Taft dropped the opening set but rallied to win the final three for a 23-25, 25-13, 25-15, 28-26 victory. Kailee Wakatake had a match-high 32 digs, Bethany Himalaya posted 13 kills and 19 digs, and ShaCe Niu added 54 assists and 13 digs.
The Cougars advance to Round 2 where they will travel to face No. 4 College of San Mateo College on Tuesday (Nov. 22) at 6 p.m. Tickets to the postseason match can be purchased online at the CSM Tickets page. TICKETS
The Cougars will be taking on a San Mateo team that has won 15 straight matches and is 20-3 overall. CSM won a Coast Conference North Division championship with a perfect 10-0 record and was ranked as high as No. 3 in the state this season.
The winner of Tuesday's match will advance to the Regional Finals and will face either NO. 5 Fresno City College or No. 12 Cabrillo College on Saturday (Nov. 26). Two more wins are needed by Taft to advance the CCCAA Women's Volleyball State Championships, scheduled for Dec. 2-4 at Fresno City College in Fresno.