LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s women's volleyball team made it two wins in two tries in its own tournament with a hard-fought victory over Simon Fraser.
The Golden Eagles got 14 kills from
Natalia Gonzalez and 13 kills from
Zuzana Cizova and went on to beat Simon Fraser, 25-19, 25-22, 19-25, 25-14 Friday afternoon in the Eagles Nest. Cal State L.A. (2-0) will return to action later Friday night against Academy of Art.
Cal State L.A. hit at a .285 percentage, while Simon Fraser hit at a .245 clip. The Golden Eagles held a slim 7-6 edge in blocks and had an advantage in kills, 54-40.
After serving brilliantly on Thursday in a season-opening win over Northwood (MI), the Golden Eagles struggled in that department early Friday. Cal State L.A, which had 17 service aces on Thursday, had only seven on Friday against Simon Fraser with 11 service errors.
Simon Fraser (0-2) was led by Marina Liarsky, who had 12 kills and 13 digs. Kelsey Robinson added 10 kills and five digs.
The Golden Eagles trailed in the first set, 18-15, before scoring five straight points to take the lead for good. A kill by Cizova, a block by Gonzalez and Mora, a kill by Gonzalez and an ace by Cizova put the Golden Eagles ahead. An ace by Gay eventually ended the set.
Cal State L.A. had its hands full again in the second set. The Golden Eagles broke a 19-19 tie after a Simon Fraser service error, kills by Faulkner and Cizova, an ace by
Kaitlynd Carroll and an attack error by Simon Fraser. After the Clan staved off three set points, a kill by Cizova ended the set.
Simon Fraser took control of the third set early to extend the contest. The Clan opened up an 18-12 lead and never relinquished it. Kills by Liarsky and Jordan Drezet finished the set for Simon Fraser, 25-19.
Cal State L.A., though, responded well in the fourth set, scoring the first four points behind the serving of Tuladhar and never looking back. The Golden Eagles had a 16-5 edge in kills for the fourth set, including five by Gonzalez and four by Mora.
