Pioneers victorious in thriller

But after two Pasadena Poly errors, Providence was able to put the match away on a kill by senior outside hitter Galia Sotomayer.

Providence also received 27 assists from senior setter Natalie Kasbarian and 14 digs from libero Melissa Rosal.

"This was such a back-and-fourth game," Jimenez said of the match in which his team won the first, third and fifth games. "Pasadena Poly is a very good team and they have a very good player in [Duncan-Mestel].

"But our girls did a good job and they never gave up."

The Pioneers won all three of their games on the same side of the court.

The match began uncharacteristically for both teams. Pasadena Poly came into the contest with two consecutive three-game sweeps in its opening playoff contests, and Providence lost the opening games in each of its two previous postseason matches.

However, in the first game on Saturday, Providence was able to win, as Duncan-Mestel wasn't much of a factor, collecting just two kills.

But Duncan-Mestel was able to lead the way in the second game, vaulting her team to victory with five kills.

Mistakes is what led to the Panthers' downfall in the third game, as they committed 10 hitting errors and three service errors. The Pioneers led throughout the game.

The Panthers responded by dominating the fourth game, taking a commanding 20-12 lead before the Pioneers made a modest comeback.