DENVER, COLO. – Cal State L.A.'s women's volleyball team had mixed results in first-day competition at the Colorado Premier Challenge in Denver.

 

After losing to No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth in their opening match on Friday, the Golden Eagles came back and beat host Regis University in four games to earn a split in the first day of competition. Cal State L.A. (4-1), ranked 17^th in the nation, will play two more matches on Saturday.

 

The Golden Eagles bounced back after a brief rest between matches to upend Regis, 30-20, 24-30, 30-26, 30-21 Friday afternoon. Ursula Vieira had 14 kills and seven blocks to lead the Golden Eagles, while Airess Padda had nine kills and five blocks and Kha Tara Steen had nine kills and three blocks.

 

Liz Franz had 14 kills and Meghan Meehan had 12 kills for Regis (1-4).

 

Nancy Laguna had a match-high 19 digs, while Andrea Rodriguez had a team-high 27 assists. Lindsey Spainhour had four of the Golden Eagles' 12 service aces.

 

The Golden Eagles hit at a .178 clip for the match to just .102 for Regis. The Golden Eagles had a slender edge in kills, 51-50 and had a slim edge in blocks as well, 9-7.

 

Cal State L.A. broke a 13-13 tie in the opening game on a kill by Steen and led the rest of the way. Keslie Brown served for four straight points late in the game and a kill by Vieira gave the Golden Eagles the first frame.

 

Regis, though, rallied from an early 5-1 deficit and won the second game. Regis went on a 15-3 run to open up a 16-8 advantage and held off a late Cal State L.A. run. The Golden Eagles closed to within 27-24 after a kill by Lindsay Laakso, but Regis rattled off the final three points to even the match.

 

Regis then held on to a 20-18 lead in the third game before the Golden Eagles six consecutive points behind the serving of Rodriguez. She had a service ace in her serving run and Vieira and Bianca Gorospe had kills to give the Golden Eagles a 24-20 advantage. A service ace by Spainhour got the Golden Eagles to game point and a kill by Padda ended the frame.

 

Cal State L.A. opened up an early 15-9 lead in the fourth game and kept Regis at bay. Regis closed to within 15-14, but a kill by Steen and three straight points on Steen's serve kept the Golden Eagles ahead. Kills by Steen and Vieira got the Golden Eagles to match point later in the game and an attack error by Regis ended the match.

 

Cal State L.A. opened the day with a 30-17, 30-17, 30-17 defeat to No. 2 Minnesota Duluth. Vieira had a team-high eight kills for the Golden Eagles, while Laakso and Gorospe had five kills each. Minnesota-Duluth hit at a .347 clip while holding Cal State L.A. to a hitting percentage of just .035.

 

Cal State L.A. will conclude play in the two-day tournament on Saturday with a pair of matches against opponents to be determined.