Box Score

LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s women's volleyball team found itself in an early hole for the second straight night, only this time the Golden Eagles were unable to recover.

 

The Golden Eagles spotted No. 3 Cal State San Bernardino a 2-0 lead and the Coyotes went on to beat No. 21 Cal State L.A., 25-16, 25-22, 22-25, 25-13, Saturday night in a California Collegiate Athletic Association match in the Eagles Nest. Cal State L.A. had rallied for a five-set win over Cal Poly Pomona on Friday after dropping the first two sets, but the Coyotes jumped out to a big early lead in the fourth set to put aside any hopes for a repeat performance.

 

Cal State L.A. (19-8, 15-5 CCAA) lost for just the second time in its last 12 matches, while Cal State San Bernardino (26-1, 19-1) remained on track for its fourth consecutive CCAA crown. The Coyotes, ranked sixth in the West Region, have a one-game lead over UC San Diego with two matches remaining.

 

Cal State L.A. is in third place in the conference and ranked sixth in the West Region.

 

Cal State San Bernardino had a 54-39 edge in kills, a 9-3 advantage in service aces and an 11-8 edge in blocks. The Coyotes hit at a .246 percentage and limited the Golden Eagles to just .103.

 

Jane Chafeh turned in an outstanding performance for Cal State San Bernardino. She had a match-high 23 kills, 12 digs and two blocks and hit at a .327 percentage. Samantha Middleborn was next for the Coyotes with eight kills and seven blocks. Sara Hoffman had 47 set assists for the Coyotes.

 

Zuzana Cizova had 12 kills and 17 digs for the Golden Eagles, while Marquis Mora had six kills and three blocks. Gabriela Bulawczyk, who had 22 kills in the win over Cal Poly Pomona on Friday, was held to eight kills in 53 swings. Mary Laupepa had five kills, four blocks and two aces, while Kaylynne De La Rosa had 33 set assists and seven digs.

 

The Coyotes took quick control of the first set, scoring five straight points to break a 4-4 tie and never looking back. Cal State San Bernardino led by as many as 10 points, 20-10, and eventually closed out the set at 25-16 on a kill by Chafeh.

 

The Golden Eagles responded well to start the second set and opened up an 8-3 lead. A ball-handling error on the Coyotes and back-to-back blocks by Laupepa prompted a Cal State San Bernardino timeout. The Coyotes eventually crept back into the set and took their first lead at 16-15 after a block by Middleborn and Nicole Moore. A kill by De La Rosa tied it at 16-16, but the Coyotes scored the next four points to get some breathing room. Cal State L.A. staved off two set points with a kill by Cizova and a block by Mora and Bulawczyk, but a service error ended the set.

 

Cal State L.A. jumped out to another big early lead in the third set and held on this time. The Golden Eagles scored the first four points of the set and built an 8-1 lead. Cal State L.A. led the rest of the way, although the Coyotes twice pulled to within a point. A kill by Bulawczyk got the Golden Eagles to set point at 24-21 and, after a kill by Chafeh made it 24-22 and prompted a Cal State L.A. timeout, a service error by Cal State San Bernardino extended the match.

 

The Coyotes scored the first six points of the final set and were never seriously threatened. Cal State L.A. closed to within 9-6 after a block by Chelsea Hamilton and Mora, but that was as close as the Golden Eagles would get. The Coyotes scored the final four points of the match, the last three coming in kills by Chafeh.

 

Cal State L.A. will return to action on Wednesday with a home match against Cal State Stanislaus.