GRR: Humboldt
Making the DII Women's National Spring Final Four is no small feat, especially if you're Salisbury, Tulane, Southern California, or Humboldt State. Each of these teams not only clawed their way through the normal resistance of competition, retention of numbers, injury, and exhaustion, but they also handily took the win from their oppositions on April 10 during the Round of 16.
It has been a rocky journey getting this far for some teams in the Collegiate Women's DII Round of 16, but after this weekend, four teams will be one step closer to facing Davenport in the May 7th DII National Championship.
CSU Northridge is 10 years more mature after its experience at the DII West regional championship. The Southern California champ won its two playoff games by a combined 13 points, beating UN Reno 41-32 in overtime Saturday (read more) and a hungry Humboldt 36-32 yesterday.
The West Coast conference was essentially building toward a rematch of Humboldt vs. UN Reno. The duo met early in February, and that match turned out to be the only competitive match of the teams’ regular season. Humboldt won that game by two points, and that slim margin paid dividends during last weekend’s conference playoffs.
All of the top teams in the DII West Coast conference exited the weekend with big wins. Sacramento State defeated SF BATS 65-12; Reno topped Santa Clara 78-10; and Humboldt banked shutouts against St. Mary’s and Fresno State by a combined 199-0.