Box Score

LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s women's volleyball team found its way just in time Wednesday night in a California Collegiate Athletic Association match against Cal State Dominguez Hills.

 

The Golden Eagles rallied from two sets down and from an 11-6 deficit in the fifth set to pull out a dramatic 22-25, 13-25, 25-23, 25-21, 15-13 victory over the Toros in the Eagles Nest in the Billie Jean King Sports Complex. Cal State L.A. (7-6, 4-5 CCAA) snapped a four-match losing streak with the win.

 

The Golden Eagles, who haven't lost to the Toros since November of 1991, came awfully close to seeing that streak end on Wednesday. Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-13, 1-8 CCAA) dominated the first two sets and held leads of 20-17 in the third set, 18-17 in the fourth set and 11-6 in the fifth set.

 

Cal State L.A., though, got back-to-back kills from Marquis Mora and Natalia Gonzalez to break a 13-13 tie in the fifth set and win the match.

 

Gonzalez led the Golden Eagles with 19 kills, while Zuzana Cizova had 10 kills and 20 digs and Mary Laupepa had 10 kills and four blocks.

 

Denise Devine had a match-high 23 kills for the Toros, including 11 during a sensational opening set. Elizabeth Krieger had 16 kills for Cal State Dominguez Hills.

 

Cal State Dominguez Hills had a big edge in serving, recording 12 service aces, while Cal State L.A. had three aces and eight errors. Celeste Tuioti had six service aces to lead the Toros.

 

Both teams had 60 kills, although Cal State L.A. hit at a .247 percentage and Cal State Dominguez Hills hit at a .214 clip.

 

Cal State L.A. had an 8-3 advantage in blocks.

 

The Toros jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the match. Cal State Dominguez Hills roared out to a 14-5 lead in the opening set and held off a late Cal State L.A. rally. The Golden Eagles pulled to within 23-22 after a kill by Chelsea Hamilton, but back-to-back kills by Devine gave the set to the Toros.

 

The Toros raced out to a 20-9 lead in the second set after a block by Elayne Greer and Olivia White and closed out the set after a kill by Ashley Clark, an attack error, and kills by Shelbi Vopnford, Krieger and Elayne Greer.

 

The Toros then put themselves in position to close out the match in three sets when an ace by Tuioti gave them a 20-17 lead. Cal State L.A., though, came to life and tied the set at 21-21 following a kill by Laupepa. The Toros were just two points away from the match, but a kill by Hamilton and a block by Gonzalez and Mora broke a 23-23 tie and gave the set to the Golden Eagles.

Cal State L.A. led for most of the fourth set, but the Toros rallied and took an 18-17 advantage. Two straight kills by Gonzalez and a kill by Mora erased the deficit and the Golden Eagles eventually wrapped up the set after a kill by Cizova.

 

Two straight kills by Krieger lifted the Toros to their 11-6 advantage in the fifth set, but the Golden Eagles responded with four straight points on a kill by Laupepa, an attack error and two kills by Gonzalez to make it 11-10.

 

A kill by Greer made it 12-10, but the Golden Eagles scored the next three points on a kill by Laupepa, an attack error and a kill by Gonzalez. A kill by Devine evened things at 13-13 before the kills by Mora and Gonzalez gave the match to the Golden Eagles.

 

Cal State L.A. will return to action on Friday night with another home match against Humboldt State.