Five-set win over No. 11 Sacramento City sends No. 6 CSM to regional final at No. 3 Feather River

SAN MATEO – No. 6-seeded College of San Mateo is just one win from advancing to the state championships after outlasting No. 11 Sacramento City College in five-set, second-round match of the Northern California Regional Playoffs on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs won the marathon back-and-forth battle over the Panthers by scores of 25-22, 21-25, 26-24, 17-25, 15-9 to move on to a Round 3 regional final match. CSM now heads to No. 3-seeded and defending state champion Feather River College for a 6 p.m. playoff matchup on Saturday (Nov. 29).

Before moving on, the Bulldogs had to get past a tough Sacramento City squad at home. All-Northern California selection and Coast Conference MVP Synia Hunt led the San Mateo offense with 17 kills on the night.

Addison Turner and Juliana Mufarreh both had 12 kills each in contributing to the win. Madison Williams put together a solid match with 11 kills, 14 digs, and 3 aces. And setter Alyssa Polanco had a huge night directing the offense with a season-high 50 assists. On the defensive side, Kathleen Suayan totaled a team-best 25 digs.

The Bulldogs will take a 23-5 overall record into Saturday's playoff match at Feather River and have won 15 straight matches.

Feather River is 33-1 this season after its 3-0 sweep of No. 14 Modesto Junior College in its playoff opener on Tuesday in Quincy. The Golden Eagles take a 14-match winning streak into Saturday's contest.

Saturday's regional final marks the second meeting of the season between CSM and Feather River. On Sep. 26, Feather River defeated the Bulldogs 3-0 in San Mateo.

The winner of the match will punch its ticket to the 3C2A State Championships on Dec. 5-7 at Folsom Lake College in Folsom. The Bulldogs look to make their second trip to the state tournament under head coach Katie Goldhahn.