The Scottsdale volleyball team put in a long hard day of work, but it was enough to advance to the NJCAA Region I Division II Championship round.

In the opener, hosted by Glendale Community College, the Artichokes found themselves quickly down 2-0 to No. 4 seed Mesa after 25-16, 25-13 set losses. SCC bounced back in the third to take the set 25-22. The Artichokes held a lead late in the fourth set, but the Thunderbirds rallied to take the set 25-21 and the match 3-1.

No. 2 seed Scottsdale had to wait three hours before their elimination match with No. 3 Pima but wasted no time establishing their fight. SCC took the opening set 25-18 and controlled the second set for a 25-21 win.  The Aztecs jumped out to a 15-5 lead in the third to pace them to a 25-16 set win. Pima would again start fast leading 13-5 in the fourth. SCC would close the gap but fall 25-21. Scottsdale rebounded in dramatic fashion to win the fifth set 15-12 after trailing 11-9.

Next up for the Artichokes will be No. 4 seed Mesa. SCC will need to beat MCC twice tomorrow at GCC to claim the Region title. Mesa needs only one win. The opening match will begin at 4 p.m. If a second match is needed it will begin 45 after the completion of the opener.