CHICO -- Cal State L.A.'s women's volleyball team kept its hold on first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association thanks to a nervewracking win over Chico State.

The Golden Eagles couldn't hold an early lead and had to eventually stave off seven match points in the fifth set before pulling out a 25-17, 25-18, 12-25, 23-25, 21-19 victory over the Wildcats Saturday night in Acker Gym. Cal State L.A. (10-2, 8-1 CCAA) won its fifth straight match and took its second five-set decision of the week.

The Golden Eagles roared through the first two sets, but the Wildcats evened the match by winning the third and fourth sets and the two teams battled through a tense fifth set that decided the match.

After fighting off seven match points, the Golden Eagles finally ended the match on their first match points. Two straight Chico State attack errors put the Golden Eagles ahead, 20-19, and a kill by Kymberly Silveyra completed the win.

Iona Lofrano had 21 kills to lead the Golden Eagles, while Loreal Carter had 15 kills and five blocks and Silveyra also had 15 kills. JamieAnn Bero had 14 kills and three blocks.

Lindsey Quigley had 18 kills and five blocks for Chico State (7-6, 5-4 CCAA), while Ellie Larronde had 15 kills.

Kelsey Molnar had 58 set assists and two service aces for the Golden Eagles, while April Reyes had a match-high 21 digs.

Cal State L.A. had a 67-64 edge in kills and hit at a .263 percentage to .215 for Chico State. The Golden Eagles had a slim 8-7 advantage in blocks.

The Golden Eagles started quickly and opened up a 10-3 lead after a strong serving run by Colby Joseph and a kill by Lofrano. The Wildcats were able to close to within 19-16, but kills by Lofrano and Bero built the lead back up to five and back-to-back kills by Silveyra ended the set.

Cal State L.A. trailed as late as 13-12 in the second set, but a Carter kill and a block by Carter and Bero gave the Golden Eagles the lead for good. A block by Carter and Mia Alcaraz ultimately ended the set.

Chico State, though, rebounded strongly and won the third set easily before pulling out a tight fourth set. A kill by Lofrano tied the fourth set at 23-23, but the Wildcats got the next two points to send the match to a fifth set.

Cal State L.A. had an 8-5 lead in the fifth set, but Chico State rallied to open up an 11-9 lead. A Cal State L.A. service error gave the Wildcats a 14-12 lead, but a Chico State error and a kill by Silveyra tied it at 14-14 and erased the first two match points. A bad set by Chico State saved the third match point for the Golden Eagles at 15-14 and a Lofrano kill evened things up at 16-16. Kills by Carter evened the set at 17-17 and 18-18 and an attack error by Chico State erased the seventh and final match point for the Wildcats. Another attack error gave the Golden Eagles their first match point and Silveyra delivered the match winner.

Cal State L.A. will return to action with a home match against defending conference champion Cal State San Bernardino on Thursday night.