The Irvine Valley women’s volleyball team lost its first match of the season – and its chance at the state tournament Saturday night.

Ninth-seeded Canyons upset top-seeded and state-ranked No. 1 Irvine Valley in five games, 30-26, 30-20, 15-30, 17-30, 15-13, in a Southern California Regional Final playoff match at Irvine Valley.

Canyons, which finished tied for second in the South Division of the Western State Conference, will be making its first ever appearance in the state championships. The state tournament is Nov. 30-Dec. 1 in Fresno.

Irvine Valley, which was the state’s last undefeated team, had won 22 straight matches before Saturday.

“We still had an amazing year,” IVC Coach Tom Pestolesi said. “I never would have imagined at the start of the season that we would have a year like this. I feel bad for the girls that it ended like this.

“We had our chances tonight, but Canyons put us on our heels and then made the plays when they needed to.”

Canyons, behind the play out all-Southern California selection Priscilla Bremer, put IVC in its first two-game hole of the season, winning the opening frames, 30-26 and 30-20.

Irvine Valley only led twice in the opening game (7-6 and 8-7). The Lasers jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second game and were later up, 8-6 and 10-9, but Canyons went on a 9-3 run capped by a kill by Jessica Frost and then a block for a point by Frost to take a 18-12 lead.

Irvine Valley didn’t get any closer than six points the rest of the game. Canyons closed out the second game on back-to-back kills by Bremer.

But the Lasers stormed back in games three and four. In the third game IVC used a 5-0 run early, highlighted by three straight kills by sophomore All-American outside hitter Chelsea Pavlik, to take 7-2 lead.

Ahead, 17-11, the Lasers out-scored Canyons, 13-4, the rest of the way to send the match to a fourth game. A block by sophomore middle blocker Jessica Flood and then a net violation by Canyons ended the third game.

In the fourth game, Irvine Valley again jumped out to an early lead, going up, 9-2, on a kill by Pavlik and then made it 10-2 after a hitting error by Canyons.

The Lasers were ahead by double digits for most of the game. A kill by Pavlik gave IVC game-point at 29-17 and two points later Bremer hit a ball into the net to even the match at two games apiece.

Seemingly down and out, Canyons found new life in the fifth game. A block for a point by Bremer and Frost and then kills by Caitlyn Ramirez and Bremer gave Canyons a 4-1 edge.

IVC rallied back with four straight points to go up, 6-4. Two of the points came on a block and a kill by freshman outside hitter Camryn Torromeo.

Canyons tied things up at 7-7 on a kill by Ramirez. It was the start of a 5-0 run by the Cougars. Three of the points came on aces by Bremer.

IVC stopped the bleeding with a kill by Torromeo. But the Lasers still trailed, 11-8.

Canyons took a 13-9 advantage on a serving error by IVC. But after sophomore all-Southern California setter Kelly Keating won a joust at the net, Canyons hit a kill attempt out and Pavlik put down two straight kills, the fifth and final game was tied, 13-13.

Two more points to the state tournament. And Canyons won those two points.

After a long rally, Pavlik hit a shot out and then, with IVC down, 14-13, Pavlik tried to do something with a set that was wide to her left, but her jab at a left-handed kill sailed wide and Canyons won, 15-13.

Pavlik finished with 31 kills and 18 digs to lead Irvine Valley. Her 31 kills were the second most in a match in school history, trailing her own 32 in a win over Golden West this season.

Guadagnini added 12 kills and 13 digs, freshman libero Amanda Donaldson had 11 digs and Keating finished with 56 assists.

Bremer had 16 kills, 16 digs and six aces to pace Canyons, which improved its record to 16-6 overall. Caitlyn Ramirez had 14 kills, Bridgette Redmond contributed 34 digs and setter Heather Seddon had 55 assists and five blocks for the Cougars.

“We were a couple of points short,” Pestolesi said. “But I was really proud of the way the girls battled back. They kept fighting and we had swings in that final game to get to match point. We just couldn’t get it done.”