NAMPA, Idaho -- Madelyn Densberger smashed 15 kills without committing an error and Caylie Seitz recorded a match-high 17 kills as the No. 7 seed Sonoma State volleyball team shocked the No. 2 seed Alaska Anchorage in four sets (26-24, 25-18, 14-25, 25-11) in the First Round of the 2014 NCAA Division II Volleyball West Region Championships on Thursday at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho. 

The SSU Seawolves improved to 21-6 this season and the victory sets up a regional semifinal matchup with CCAA-foe and No. 6 seed Cal State San Bernardino on Friday at 5:00 pm MST (4:00 pm PST).  The Coyotes upset No. 3 seed Western Washington, 3-1, in the first game on Thursday.  The UAA Seawolves see their season end at 21-6.

Click here to watch the postgame press conference with head coach Bear Grassl and junior Madelyn Densberger.

I thought we handled the stress and pressure very well," said Grassl.  "We did an excellent job defending them, we took their better players out of the game, we forced other people to have to beat us."

"I think it was great as an all-around team effort, I think we balanced each other out really well," said Densberger.  "The energy on the court was always really positive.  The first game got a little shaky towards the end, but then we were able to pick each other back up, so I think that was really important."

Sonoma got off to a fast start in the first game, jumping out to an 18-11 lead, but Alaska Anchorage went on a 9-2 run to knot the game at 20-20.  The teams would go back and forth before UAA eventually held set point at 24-23.  However, back-to-back kills by Densberger and Seitz and a service ace by Kaitlyn Connolly lifted SSU to the 26-24 win and the 1-0 match lead.

The second set featured another see-saw battle, but with the score 20-18 in favor of Sonoma State, SSU tallied five straight points to clinch the 25-18 win and the 2-0 match lead.

It was a different story in the third set as Alaska Anchorage led from start to finish, turning a narrow 12-11 margin into a 25-14 win, including the last seven points to cut the SSU lead in half at 2-1.

"We've had a problem with (closing teams out) during the season," Densberger explained.  "We get two games ahead and then we think we have (the match) won and we kind of back off a little bit, but (tonight) we were just saying 'don't be complacent, win every point.'"

The fourth set was another nailbiter until midway through the frame when Sonoma State began to pull away.  Up 11-9, SSU reeled off 14 of the next 16 points to win the set and clinch the 3-1 match victory.

Sonoma State earned the victory despite being held to just .189 on offense, mostly due to the 15 total blocks by the Alaska Anchorage front line.  Kelsey Hull, the CCAA Player of the Year, had just nine kills in 41 swings with eight errors (.024 hitting percentage), adding 13 digs on defense.  Connolly recorded a match-high 18 digs.

Alaska Anchorage's Kayla McGlathery had 10 kills and was in on 10 blocks, including two solo stops.  Brooke Pottle had a team-high 11 kills for UAA.