SPOKANE, Wash. -- Briana Gonzales came off of the bench to lead a trio of La Verne players in kills with 12 and lead the Leopards past Whitworth 30-25, 30-26, 31-29 in the West Region Final of the NCAA Division III Volleyball tournament on Saturday night in the Whitworth Fieldhouse.

La Verne's Mandy Sedia kills a ball

Photo from Kirk Hirota

Gonzales finished with 12 kills and two blocks for La Verne (23-8), which won its third consecutive West Region title and fourth in the last five years. Jodi Lindsay and Courtney Rollins each had 10 kills, and Rollins added a match-high 15 digs. Leslie Flores had 40 assists for the Leos. ULV hit .143 in the match.

Natalie Danielson had a match high 15 kills to lead the Pirates, who finish the season with a 22-4 record. Julie Marsh added 12 kills. Cassie Moore and Bekah Hornor dug 14 balls each and Hornor finished with 33 assists. Whitworth's team hitting percentage of .058 was the Pirates' second lowest of the season.

The first game went back and forth with four lead changes after the Pirates took a 17-16 lead on a Leopard attack error. But La Verne responded with an 8-1 run to take a 24-18 lead. The won the game on a Gonzales kill.

Bekah Hornor and Natalie Danielson get a Whitworth block

photo from Kirk Hirota

La Verne jumped to a 5-1 lead in the second game and never trailed. They still led 13-8 after a Gonzales kill. Whitworth fought back to tie the game 15-15 after back to back ULV attack errors. But the Pirates couldn't get over the edge, forcing ties at 19-19 and 22-22, but never gaining a lead. Rollins won the game with a kill.

Whitworth finally gained momentum early in the third game, taking a 10-4 lead after a Brittney Bower ace and ULV attack error. But the Leopards went on a 12-4 run to lead 16-14 after a Pirate error. They stretched the lead to 24-20 after a Gonzales kill. But the Pirates came back one more time and tied the game 26-26 on a kill by Bower. The teams traded points, with the Pirates fighting off a match point at 29-28 on a kill by Marsh, until Lindsay finally ended the game with her 10th kill.

La Verne advances to the NCAA Finals in Salem, Virginia, along with the winners of the other seven regions. They will play Washington University (Mo.), who improved to 35-1 tonight by winning the Central Regional in St. Paul, Minnesota.