ROCHESTER, Minn. (Nov. 12, 2022) — College of DuPage saved its best performance of the season Saturday night in the NJCAA Division III Volleyball National Championship.
 
Faced with taking on top-seed and three-time defending champions Owens Community College, coach Tolis Koskinaris and the No. 2-seed Chaps rolled past the Express 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-18, 25-18) and claimed the program's third national championship and first since winning its second straight crown in 1999.
 
"We have a team that once we get into a tough spot, they find a way to work out of it and turn it into an advantage,'' Koskinaris said. "It happened again tonight. They made it fun and played with a ton of composure.''
 
Tourney MVP Chloey Myers and All-Tourney choice Alyssa Fountain each had 19 kills for COD, which closed the season with a 32-3 record. Libero Cyd Martinez played, "her best match of the season" according to Koskinaris. She had 32 digs and helped set up the offense, along with setter Ashley Bylsma, who had 40 assists.
 
"Chloey and Alyssa get the share of accolades, but unsung heroes like Cyd and Ashley were so locked in,'' Koskinaris said. "Cyd was unbelievable in her reads, and Ashley played so well in the biggest moment of her athletic life.''
 
The Chaparrals raced to leads of 6-3 and 14-8 in the opener for a 1-0 lead. In the second, Owens bounced back, but never led by more than four points to tie the match.
 
"Owens got us stuck in one rotation in the second and that was the difference maker in the second,'' Koskinaris said. "They were able to make their runs and caused us some issues.''
 
COD regained momentum in the third by scoring five straight points after Owens led the match with a 1-0 lead.  It was the only deficit for COD in the final two sets.
 
The fourth set belonged to COD, as it made use of two 5-0 runs. The first after the set was tied at 4-4, and the other occurred by extending a 13-9 lead into an insurmountable 18-9 advantage.
 
A 35-match season gave COD the composure and seasoning needed for a postseason run, Koskinaris said.
 
"By playing in Texas in September, it allowed us to play against top-notch competition,'' he said. "That experience tested us. When it came to the postseason, we had a confident bunch that knew how to find ways to play relaxed with a focus.''
 
Director of Athletics Ryan Kaiser
"I'm so happy for Tolis, and his coaching staff of Franky (Martinez) and Cynthia (Martinez). Earlier in the summer, they wouldn't say that they were going to win a national title. They just said we have the pieces to be successful. They found a way to keep the team focused through the grind of a season, working through practices and all of the stuff teams have to go through. Big performances from key players and an unbelievable supporting cast that worked to set it all up. It's a lot of fun to be around a group that wants what's best for their athletes. They provide a quality experience and tonight, everybody saw what we already knew.''
 
Remarkable run at COD
Saturday's championship marked the 39^th title for a Chaparral program in school history and the 18^th for a women's program. It's the second national title for COD in a week, after the men's cross country team won its first-ever title last Saturday. Since spring 2021, COD has now won seven NJCAA titles: men's and women's track and field (2021-22), football (2021), men's cross country (2022) and women's volleyball (2022).