POMONA -- Cal State LA's women's volleyball team came up just short in an exciting battle between nationally-ranked teams Friday at Cal Poly Pomona.

The Golden Eagles, ranked No. 9 in the nation, rebounded from a slow start before eventually falling to the No. 16 Broncos in four sets, 25-16, 23-25, 25-23, 25-23 in Kellogg Arena in a California Collegiate Athletic Association South Division battle. Cal State LA (20-2, 12-2 CCAA) lost its first road match of the season, while Cal Poly Pomona (20-3, 13-2 CCAA) remained unbeaten at home.

The match also had regional implications. Cal State LA was ranked No. 3 in the West Region entering the week, while Cal Poly Pomona was No. 4.

Karla Santos had 21 kills and 22 digs for the Golden Eagles, while Mickayla Sherman had 16 kills and 12 digs. Daisy Crenshaw had 10 kills and four blocks and hit at a .529 percentage.

Kristen Hamlin had 15 kills and seven blocks and Andrea Bosnic had 15 kills and 11 digs for the Broncos.

Kelsey Molnar had 48 set assists and 11 digs for the Golden Eagles.

Cal State LA had a 61-56 edge in kills and hit at a .216 percentage to .258 for the Broncos. Serving was a big factor in Cal State LA's three-set win over Cal Poly Pomona in Los Angeles earlier in the season, but it hurt the Golden Eagles on Friday. Cal State LA had five service aces and 12 errors, while Cal Poly Pomona had four aces and just three errors.

The match featured several lengthy, crowd-pleasing rallies between two outstanding defensive teams. The effort by both teams was exceptional and players were flying all over the court to keep rallies alive.

After a slow start in the opening set, Cal State LA got back into the match with a well-played second set. The Golden Eagles opened up an 11-6 lead and had a 20-15 advantage after a kill by Alejandra Negron, but the Broncos roared back to tie it at 22-22. Crenshaw had a kill and Negron had a solo block to get the Golden Eagles to set point at 24-22 and a kill by Crenshaw ended the set and evened the match.

Cal Poly Pomona jumped out to a 9-5 lead early in the third set, but a kill by Daisia LaBrie and an ace by Sherman gave the Golden Eagles a 12-11 lead. The lead see-sawed back and forth before the Golden Eagles tied it at 22-22 after a block by LaBrie and Molnar. Cal Poly Pomona, though, scored the next two points, and, after a kill by Negron, closed out the set.

The fourth set was close throughout as well. A kill by Molnar and back-to-back kills by Santos gave the Golden Eagles a 10-7 lead and neither team had more than a two-point advantage the rest of the way. Kills by Santos and Crenshaw gave the Golden Eagles a 21-19 lead, but Cal Poly Pomona scored three straight points before a kill by Crenshaw tied it for a final time at 22-22. Cal Poly Pomona, just like it did in the third set, scored the next two points to take a 24-22 lead. A kill by Crenshaw pulled the Golden Eagles to within 24-23, but the Broncos closed out the match on the next point.

Cal State LA will return to action on Saturday night with another tough match at first-place Cal State San Bernardino.