BELLINGHAM, WASH. -- Cal State LA's women's volleyball team went through its final preparations Wednesday for its fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament.

The Golden Eagles, the 2022 California Collegiate Athletic Association regular-season champions, find themselves in a familiar situation in more ways than one when the playoffs get underway on Thursday.

First, the No. 3 seed Golden Eagles will be facing No. 6 seed Sonoma State for the third time this season and for the second time in less than a week in a first-round match at Western Washington's Carver Gym. Cal State LA (21-6) beat Sonoma State (21-7) in a regular-season meeting in Los Angeles on its way to its first CCAA championship since 2005. The Seawolves won the second meeting in the semifinals of the CCAA Tournament last Friday at Cal State San Marcos.

The Cal State LA-Sonoma State match will be the third of four first-round matchups on Thursday and scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.

It will be one of two all-CCAA first-round matchups in the West Regional. In the opening match of the day, No. 4 seed Cal Poly Pomona will face No. 5 Cal State San Bernardino. Other matches include No. 1 seed Alaska Anchorage vs. No. 8 seed Chaminade and an all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchup in No. 2 Western Washington vs. No. 7 Central Washington.

Second, the Golden Eagles will be returning to the site where they started the 2022 season in early September in Western Washington's WWU Invitational. Cal State LA opened the season with a 2-2 mark at Western Washington's tournament and then, after dropping its opening match in its own tournament the following week, rolled off 19 wins in its next 22 matches, including 16 of 18 conference matches, to earn a repeat trip to Western Washington.

The Golden Eagles will be making their fourth straight NCAA appearance at the site of their return to postseason competition in 2018. That year, the No. 3 seed Golden Eagles fell to No. 6 seed Central Washington in Western Washington's Carver Arena in Cal State LA's first NCAA appearance since 2010. Cal State LA qualified for the NCAA playoffs in 2019 and 2021, both at Cal State San Bernardino, before Western Washington earned the hosting duties in 2022.

The Golden Eagles picked up their first NCAA playoff wins since 2010 last year when they beat No. 4 seed Cal Poly Pomona and No. 1 seed Cal State San Bernardino on their way to their first regional championship match since 2009. Cal State LA fell in the final to Western Washington in three sets to end their season.

Cal State LA is making its 20th NCAA playoff appearance and has an overall record of 18-20. The Golden Eagles are playing Sonoma State for the second time in the NCAA playoffs. Cal State LA won the first meeting in 2009 in five sets on its way to a regional championship match.

For complete tournament information, click HERE.