LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's women's volleyball team had a tough day in University Gym on Saturday.
The No. 17 Golden Eagles, the reigning NCAA Division II champions, never could get untracked against No. 11 Cal Poly Pomona and fell in straight sets, 25-14, 25-22, 25-15 in a California Collegiate Athletic Association match. Cal State LA (7-4, 2-2 CCAA) settled for a conference split for the second straight week, while the red-hot Broncos (10-1, 4-0 CCAA) remained the only undefeated team in conference play after four matches.
Emily Elliott had 14 kills, one ace and two blocks for the Golden Eagles, while
Samarah DaCoud had seven kills and six digs.Â
Sarah Ybarra had a match-high 15 kills for the Broncos, while Samantha Campion had 11 kills and four digs.
Arielle Chandler had 20 set assists for the Golden Eagles, while
Zuhal Cetin had a team-high 10 digs.
Cal Poly Pomona had a 44-29 edge in kills and hit at a .278 percentage to .235 for the Golden Eagles. Cal State LA had a 6-4 advantage in blocks. The Broncos had a huge edge at the serving line, recording 14 aces and just six errors, while the Golden Eagles had only one ace and six errors.
The Golden Eagles struggled from the start and fell into a quick 11-4 hole. Cal State LA never got closer than four points after that and Cal Poly Pomona used a 7-1 run to close out the set at 25-14.
The Golden Eagles tried to even things up in the second set, rallying from a 17-12 deficit and scoring four straight points on a kill by
Haley Roundtree, an ace by Elliott, a kill by Roundtree and a block from Roundtree and Chandler to tie it at 22-22. Cal Poly Pomona, though, responded by scoring the next three points to take a 2-0 lead.
Cal Poly Pomona then completed the sweep with another strong performance in the third set. The Broncos used an 8-0 run to extend a 14-11 lead to 22-11 to essentially put the match away. A pair of kills by Campion ultimately ended the contest.
Cal State LA will return to action on Friday with a road match at Cal State Monterey Bay.
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