The CLU men's volleyball team won its first NCAA Division III national championship

The Cal Lutheran University men’s volleyball team made itself at home at the Lillis Athletic & Wellness Center.

“You have to love the fact that it’s purple,” said CLU head coach Kevin Judd. “Our colors.”

One week after winning the NCAA Division III regional tournament on the campus of Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, the Kingsmen returned last weekend to claim the ultimate prize.

Michael Stahl had 23 kills and Taylor Marks finished with 43 assists and 10 digs as the Kingsman swept Vassar College, 25-22, 25-23, 25-23, to win the NCAA Division III national championship Sunday.

"These past two weeks showed that we were 17 strong,” said Judd.

Stahl, a senior from Northridge who transferred from Moorpark College, was named Most Outstanding Player.

“I just had a feeling that Michael was going to have the game of his life,” Judd said.

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The national championship was the first for the program and second for the CLU this school year, joining the women’s soccer team’s national title in December.

With the win, the Kingsmen joined the 2023 women’s soccer team, 2017 baseball team, 2015 women’s volleyball team, the 2010 and 2007 women’s water polo teams, and the 1971 football team as Cal Lutheran teams to win national championships. The football title was at the NAIA level.

Jordan Cooper and Ben Weber added seven kills apiece for the Kingsmen (26-5), who had previously beaten Vasser in four games during their tournament in January.

“They’re all incredibly talented,” Judd said of his players. “We certainly had the physicality of it. And they had all the right values, which was something that I brought to their attention in the first week during regionals.”

Judd brought his team into a conference room to remind them of all the work they had put in during the season. He helped the team narrow down their four main values — adaptability, hard work, passion and sacrifice.

“I wanted them to start recognizing and believing in everything we had done to this point,” Judd said.

The Kingsmen lived up to those values during their epic first appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Cooper had 16 kills and Stahl had 11 as CLU defeated Dominican (Illinois) in four sets, 21-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-20, in the first round on April 19.

CLU survived an epic five-set battle with host Loras, 25-17, 25-22, 20-25, 23-25, 15-13, in the Elite Eight on April 20. Stahl had 22 kills and 16 digs to lead the way.

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With the Final Four also in Dubuque, CLU returned to Iowa for the second straight weekend.

“What an advantage,” Judd said. “We got out there to regionals and familiarized ourselves with the place. It put them in a great position to have an epic finish.”

The Kingsmen reached the final by coming from two sets down to edge Stevens, 20-25, 16-25, 25-22, 25-23, 16-14, in the national semifinals last Friday.

Cooper had 24 kills and Stahl had 23 kills as CLU improved to 5-0 in five-set matches.

The final was CLU’s first sweep of the postseason and 14th of the season.

CLU took a 18-14 lead in the first set. Cooper’s solo block put the Kingsmen ahead, 20-17. Stahl ended the game with his ninth kill.

The second set was tied 19-19 when Stahl ripped off three straight kills and Borys Horiuk added another to build a late 23-20 lead.

The tight third set was tied 10-10, 15-15 and 20-20. Cooper’s first ace gave the Kingsman the final lead they would need, 22-21.

Nine years after he was tasked with starting the program at the Gilbert Center — with a year and a half lost to the pandemic — Judd has delivered a national championship.

“One of the things that both (CLU women’s volleyball coach) Kellee Roesel and I knew when we were pushing for men’s volleyball, we’re in Southern California, where men’s volleyball is a hotbed,” Judd said. “It was certainly going to take some time to get Cal Lu on the map. And it was certainly going to take some time to build the program.

“I remember losing recruits who said ‘You guys are brand new.’ … I kept going after quality guys and kept believing in the fact that we could get there one day.”

Joe Curley is a staff writer for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: CLU men's volleyball wins its first NCAA Division III national title