SEASIDE -- Cal State L.A.'s women's volleyball team got its California Collegiate Athletic Association schedule off to a winning start Tuesday.

The Golden Eagles won a titanic battle in the second set and overcame a poor showing in the third set to beat Cal State Monterey Bay, 25-21, 30-28, 13-25, 25-20 in the conference opener for both schools in The Kelp Bed. Cal State L.A. (8-1, 1-0 CCAA) bounced back nicely from its loss to Chaminade that ended the Golden Eagles' trip to Hawaii last week.

Iona Lofrano led the way with 17 kills and 10 digs, while Lauren Gomez had 11 kills and 10 digs. JamieAnn Bero added nine kills and a .467 hitting percentage, while Angela Thurmond had seven kills and a .417 hitting percentage.

Jessica Malcomb led Cal State Monterey Bay (1-5, 0-1 CCAA) with a match-high 20 kills.

Kelsey Molnar had 36 set assists and 10 digs, while Chloe Clancy had a team-high 13 digs.

The Golden Eagles had 52 kills to 55 for the Otters and hit at a .167 clip to .203 for the Otters. The Golden Eagles also had three service aces to seven for the Otters and three blocks to eight for the Otters.

The Golden Eagles started well and led comfortably for most of the opening set. A block by Bero and Gomez gave the Golden Eagles a quick 8-3 lead and a kill by Thurmond opened up a 22-14 advantage. A kill by Taylor Kushner got the Golden Eagles to set point at 24-20 and a kill by Bero closed it out.

The second set featured a monumental battle. Cal State Monterey Bay fought off two set points and Cal State L.A. fought off three before the Golden Eagles finally prevailed. A pair of kills by Lofrano saved two set points at 26-25 and 27-26 and a kill by Thurmond saved a third one at 28-27. After Thurmond's kill tied it, back-to-back attack errors gave the Golden Eagles the win.

After dropping the third set, the Golden Eagles regrouped in the fourth. A Kushner ace capped a 3-0 run that broke a 9-9 tie and gave the Golden Eagles the lead for good. A solo block by Thurmond gave the Golden Eagles a 20-14 lead and a kill by Lofrano got the Golden Eagles to match point at 24-17. After the Otters fought off three match points, a kill by Lofrano ended the match.

Cal State L.A. will return to action on Friday night with a home match against Stanislaus State beginning at 7 p.m. in the Eagles Nest.