SEATTLE, WASH. -- Cal State LA's women's volleyball team saw its amazing 2022 season come to an end Friday night in the NCAA Division II national semi-finals at the hands of a national powerhouse.

The Golden Eagles, ranked 19th in the nation and seeded No. 4, fell short against No. 3 Concordia-St. Paul, seeded No. 1, 25-16, 25-21, 25-14 in Seattle Pacific's Royal Brougham Pavilion. Cal State LA (25-7) had stormed in the Final Four for the third time in program history after a three-set win over No. 5 seed Gannon on Thursday, but the Golden Eagles were unable to duplicate that performance on Friday against the Golden Bears (31-5), who have enjoyed unparalleled success in Division II volleyball. Concordia-St. Paul has won nine national titles and hasn't lost a match in the Elite Eight since 2006.

Cal State LA had won 11 consecutive sets in postseason wins against Sonoma State, Central Washington, Chaminade and Gannon entering Friday's match.

Cal State LA was making its fourth straight trip to the NCAA playoffs and continued its steady progression for head coach Juan Figueroa. The Golden Eagles won California Collegiate Athletic Association regular-season and NCAA West Region championships for the first time since 2005 and the 25 wins this season are tied for the fifth-most in program history. The Golden Eagles are still seeking their first-ever appearance in a national championship match and their first-ever national title.

The Golden Eagles didn't play poorly on Friday, but they were unable to replicate their stunning performance on Thursday against Gannon. A big reason for that was Concordia-St. Paul, which simply had an answer for everything the Golden Eagles tried. The Golden Eagles had only two service aces on Friday after having 12 in the win over Gannon and the Golden Eagles hit at a .083 percentage on Friday after hitting at .301 on Thursday.

Emily Elliott had a match-high 15 kills for the Golden Eagles and continued to shine in postseason competition. In six sets at the national championships, she delivered 35 kills to go along with six aces and 14 digs.

Iane Henke had five kills and six digs. 

Jasmine Mulvihill had 12 kills for Concordia-St. Paul, while setter Teagan Starkey had 34 set assists and 11 digs. 

Jaden Grova had 15 set assists and five digs for the Golden Eagles.

Concordia-St. Paul had a 40-28 advantage in kills, a 6-2 edge in blocks and a 6-2 advantage in service aces.

The Golden Bears scored the first three points of the match, jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead and never looked back. Cal State LA got back-to-back kills from Henke and Elliott after strong serves from Tehya Chadwick to pull to within 10-8, but the Golden Bears scored the next four points to regain control and the Golden Eagles were unable to recover.

Cal State LA appeared to find its footing in the second set and took its first lead, 3-1, after back-to-back kills from Elliott. The Golden Eagles led as late as 12-11 after a kill by Henke and stayed even at 13-13 before Concordia-St. Paul scored two straight points and stayed ahead the rest of the way. Cal State LA pulled to within 17-16 after a service ace from Zuhal Cetin, but Concordia-St. Paul scored the next three points to take a 20-16 edge. The Golden Eagles again pulled to within one point at 21-20 after a kill by Roundtree and an attack error, but the Golden Bears scored the next three points to get to set point. A kill by Elliott saved the first set point, but Concordia-St. Paul converted on the second to take a 2-0 lead.

A block by Roundtree gave the Golden Eagles a 4-3 lead in the third set, but Concordia-St. Paul scored the next three points and led the rest of the way.