The No. 9 WTAMU Lady Buffs volleyball team traveled to the campus of Regis University in Denver, Colo., to participate in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1. WT defeated the No. 23 University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions, the No. 12 Colorado School of Mines Orediggers and Lone Star Conference rival, the No. 11 Angelo State Rambelles en route to winning their 12th Regional Championship in team history and earning a spot in this weekend’s Elite Eight hosted by West Florida University in Pensacola, Fla.

In the first match, the Lions grabbed an early 9-12 lead when the Lady Buffs went on a 12-4 run that gave WT a 21-16 advantage. WT fell behind 22-23 when the Lady Buffs scored three-consecutive points to take the first set 25-23.

WT took an early 6-1 lead in set two going into a UAFS timeout. The Lady Buffs extended their lead to 14-6 when the Lions took their second timeout of the set. WT outscored UAFS 11-6 to win the set 25-12.

With an early 5-4 lead in the third set, the Lady Buffs would go on a 20-7 to win the set 25-11 and complete the first round sweep.

WT had an early 11-6 lead in the first set of the second match against CSM when the Orediggers went on a 5-1 run into a Lady Buff timeout to cut WT’s lead down to 12-11. WT responded by outscoring CSM 13-8 to win the set by a 25-19 score.

The Lady Buffs started set two with a 6-4 lead when an Orediggers run of 8-3 gave CSM a 9-12 lead. An 8-3 WT run gave the Lady Buffs the lead back at 17-15. An Orediggers run of 6-2 into a Lady Buff timeout gave them a 19-21 advantage. CSM would finish the set, outscoring WT 4-3 to earn the 22-25 set win.

The Orediggers built a 10-12 lead in set three before a 5-1 WT run put the Lady Buffs on top, 15-13. A 6-1 run by CSM gave them a 16-19 lead. Trailing 16-20, WT outscored the Orediggers 11-5 to pick up a 27-25 win.