There is something about the Region XIV Volleyball Tournament that brings out the best in the Cardinals.

For the third time in four years, the Cardinals hoisted the championship trophy of the event Sunday afternoon and are heading to their fourth straight NJCAA tournament.

This time around, first-year head coach Paty Figueiredo's squad took the title on the court of their championship match opponent. The Cardinals defeated Blinn, 3-1, (28-26, 25-16, 18-25, 25-23) in Brenham.

The Cardinals will carry a 28-6 record an eight-game winning streak to Clarksville, TN, Nov. 19-22 for their fifth overall national tournament appearance. Tournament seedings/pairings are scheduled to be announced at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Blinn, which is likely to receive an at-large selection to the national tournament, fell to 37-3 – all three losses to the Cardinals.

The first set of the championship match was an all-timer from a Cardinals' perspective. They were down 24-22, surviving three set points on their way to a 28-26 decision.

The fourth set also saw a Cardinal comeback. Blinn jumped out to an 8-2 lead and was up 18-13 late in the match.

"I am so proud of this team," said Figueiredo, who last year guided MSU-West Plains to a fifth-place finish at the national tournament. "There is no quit in them, which is something they have shown all season.

"We are very excited to be going to Tennessee to represent the college and our incredible fan base. It is a great opportunity for us."

Bianca Salvador, Bruna Nunes, Vitoria Gasparini and Anastasiia Nedilko played prominent roles for the Cardinals in the title match. Salvador was named the tournament MVP and Nunes and Gasparini were all-tournament selections.

The top-seeded Cardinals advanced to the title match with a 3-1 win against Navarro in the semifinals.

In the Cardinals' three regional championship runs, they have won 12 of 14 sets.