LOS ANGELES — Hawai'i Pacific's run to the NCAA Division II crown got off to a good start last night at the West Regional tournament.

Brigham Young-Hawai'i's season came to a close.

The Sea Warriors beat Cal State Bakersfield, 30-27, 30-23, 23-30, 30-17.

BYU-Hawai'i was eliminated from the tournament, losing to Cal State San Bernardino, 30-23, 30-25, 30-26.

Hawai'i Pacific (23-2) has won 12 of its last 13 matches and will play top-seeded Cal State Los Angeles in tonight's semifinal at 5:30 (Hawai'i time). Cal State Los Angeles defeated Seattle Pacific, 28-30,40-38, 30-23, 30-23.

Cal State Bakersfield finished with a 20-9 record.

The Sea Warriors' performance in their opening playoff match satisfied coach Tita Ahuna.

"I think we played well tonight with the exception of ball control," Ahuna said. "I think we can improve a lot more tomorrow night."

Hawai'i Pacific, which was led by Brazilians Barbara Martin and Flavia Brakling, got off to fast starts in the first two games.

Cal State Bakersfield coach John Price had hoped to limit Brakling, a 6-foot senior outside hitter, by putting one of his taller players against her.

However, that opened up the middle for Martin, a 6-foot-3 junior middle blocker who had 23 kills.

"Everybody knows we are strong on the outside, so we work really hard to get Barbara and Paula Koikopoulous involved in the middle," Ahuna said. "We have to find a mix because when we set to the middle, the outside opened up."

The Roadrunners didn't make many unforced errors in winning the third game, and they had a chance in the fourth game when both teams made several early service errors. With the score knotted at 9-9 in the fourth game, the Sea Warriors notched nine unanswered points and coasted to clinch the match.

Hawai'i Pacific is ranked fourth nationally in the AVCA Division II poll, but only received the No. 4 seed in the tournament.

"We're just happy to be playing in the tournament," Ahuna said. "One year, they had the champions of all three leagues on one side of the bracket, so this set up is better."

BYU-Hawai'i, which finished with a 20-5 record, had a better hitting percentage than the Coyotes (.343 to .336), but the Seasiders had eight service errors while San Bernardino (20-7) had only one.

Noelle Filimoeatu led BYU-Hawai'i with 18 kills, and Yu Chuan Weng had 14 kills.

In today's other semifinal, Cal State San Bernardino will play Central Washington, the seventh-seeded team which defeated second-seeded Cal Poly Pomona.

NOTES

BYUH senior outside hitter Yu Chuan Weng has been voted Daktronics NCAA Division II Pacific Region Player of the Year. Weng received 11 of 17 first-place votes in balloting by the region's sports information directors and out-pointed HPU junior middle blocker Barbara Martin, 37-16. Joining Weng and Martin on the all-region first team was HPU senior setter Vera Oliveira.

Taina Savage, a junior outside hitter from Hawai'i-Hilo, was selected to the second team with HPU's Flavia Brakling, a senior outside hitter.