LA JOLLA — Cal State San Bernardino obviously didn't take the Warriors lightly this time as the much more experienced postseason team controlled this quarterfinal match of the CCAA Volleyball Tournament as the 19th ranked Coyotes defeated Stanislaus State in straight sets to advance.

The Warriors' historic season came to an end Thursday inside the RIMAC Arena at UC San Diego, falling to San Bernardino, 25-14, 25-16, 25-16. Stanislaus State finished the year with 16 wins, the most victories and first winning season since 2002.

Cal State San Bernardino improved to 25-4 and advances to play UC San Diego in the semifinals on Friday. The Coyotes, under 24th-year head coach Kim Cherniss, have been in the postseason for the past 16 consecutive years.

Stanislaus State, under first-year head coach Mallori Gibson-Rossi, played in its first ever postseason match during the Division II era. Taking part in the inaugural conference tournament was a major accomplishment for the program in itself. It was, in fact, a team goal set since the arrival of Gibson-Rossi in December.

"It was our goal all year long to make it to the tournament and finish in the top eight," Gibson-Rossi said. "Back at the end of spring, they all wrote in their journals the date Nov. 19, 2015. It was our goal all year long and to make it to this spot, to be here now and had the season we had, there was a lot to be proud of."

Back on Nov. 7, the Warriors pulled off a miraculous upset over Cal State San Bernardino, ending a 29-match losing streak to the Coyotes. That loss, in Turlock, definitely served as additional motivation for CSUSB. 

"We were motivated to play well against (Stanislaus). They did a great job the last time they played against us and we wanted to avenge that loss in Turlock," Cherniss said.

Collectively, the Coyotes spiked an amazing .403 average Thursday. They were led by Malike O'Brien's 11 kills (.733) and Turlock native Ashley Solis' seven kills. CSUSB was also able to reject the Stan State attack, totalling 20 blocks.

"We handled the ball tonight. Our serve receive was shaky last time. It just felt like we couldn't score (and) made a lot of errors...it just felt messy," Solis said when asked about the difference between the two meetings. "Tonight we just focused handling the ball (better) and focused on hitting."

Every time the Warriors put together a couple of consecutive points, the Coyotes would respond by rolling off a few of their own to take over momentum.

Lindsay Skadeland led the Warriors with seven kills. Jordan Harris added six kills and Taylor Massengale, playing for the first time since Oct. 31 (foot injury), also had six kills. Setter Maddi Seidl had 17 assists and nine digs.

For Skadeland, who will return next year, the postseason experience is something her and her teammates can learn from.

"It was a great experience to be in the first tournament," Skadeland said. "The experience is going to be awesome for the future. Playing the top teams in the conference like San Bernardino is always good for us and we are always ready for the challenge."

Gibson-Rossi agreed.

"Playing in the postseason this year is going to help us in the future," she said. "A couple of times in the match tonight, we were playing right along with them, but we made a couple of minor mistakes that came from not having that experience. Unfortunately that's when momentums shifted."

The future bolds promising for the Stan State volleyball program. Of the 15 players suited up Thursday night, only three seniors completed their eligibilities. All 15 Warriors played Thursday night.