LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s women's volleyball team got its 2008 season off to a winning start.
The Golden Eagles roared to a big early lead and never let up in a 25-16, 25-13, 25-16 victory over Academy of Art in the opening game of the Cal State L.A./Cal State Dominguez Hills Volleyball Tournament Thursday night in the Eagles Nest. Cal State L.A. got a match-high 14 kills from newcomer
Gabriela Bulawczyk and eight kills and five blocks from senior
Ursula Vieira.
Cal State L.A. hit at a .432 percentage and had a 40-25 edge in kills. The Golden Eagles also had an 11-4 advantage in blocks and had eight aces to four for the Urban Knights, who were making their NCAA Division II debut.
Dan Yang and Jelena Jakoljevic had eight kills each for Academy of Art, which is a provisional member of the PacWest Conference.
Mary Laupepa had seven kills in 13 swings for the Golden Eagles, while setter
Keslie Brown had seven kills in eight attacks and also had 22 set assists.
Amy McMahon had a match-high six blocks for Cal State L.A.
The Golden Eagles broke open a tight first set with a late 10-3 run that extended a 13-10 margin to a 23-13 advantage. Bulawczyk got the run started with a kill and then served for the next five points to give Cal State L.A. a 19-10 lead. McMahon had a kill and two blocks during the run and Bulawczyk had an ace.
A kill by Vieira gave the Golden Eagles a 23-13 lead and a service error by the Urban Knights and a kill by Brown ended the first set.
The second set was similar to the first set and Cal State L.A. used a late flurry to break open a tight frame. The Golden Eagles led by just a 12-10 margin, but went on an 11-3 run to open up a 23-13 advantage. Laupepa served for the final five points of the set and back-to-back kills by Bulawczyk gave the Golden Eagles the win.
Cal State L.A. jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the third set and led comfortably throughout. A service ace by Laupepa got the Golden Eagles to match point and a kill by Bulaawczyk ended it.
The Golden Eagles will continue play in their tournament with a match against Grand Canyon on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Eagles Nest.
