2025 Cal State LA Women's Volleyball – Season Summary

LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's women's volleyball team continued to win at an impressive rate with another strong season in 2025.

The 2023 NCAA Division II champions compiled a 17-9 overall record and finished third in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with a 13-5 mark in 2025. The Golden Eagles started conference play with eight straight wins and held second place for most of the season before a hard-fought five-set loss to Cal State San Bernardino on the final day of the regular season dropped the Golden Eagles into third.

Cal State LA qualified for the CCAA Tournament for the 10th straight time, joining Cal State San Bernardino as the only two programs to reach the conference tournament in each season of its existence.

Cal State LA also recorded a winning season for the 28th straight year, which is tied for seventh among all NCAA Division II programs.

The Golden Eagles are now 146-62 over the past seven seasons and head coach Juan Figueroa has compiled a 161-74 in seven seasons as Cal State LA's head coach, including a 105-36 mark in conference play.

Cal State LA's time in the postseason was short as the Golden Eagles fell to No. 6 seed Cal State East Bay in four sets in a CCAA Tournament first-round match at Stanislaus State to end the season. The Golden Eagles saw a six-year run in the NCAA Tournament, which included a pair of West Region titles and the 2023 national championship, come to an end as only one CCAA program reached the NCAA Tourney in 2025.

Cal State LA's season was highlighted by a series of five-set matches that had both positive and negative finishes. The Golden Eagles played in 10 five-set matches during the season and some of their biggest wins - a non-conference victory over Cal Poly Pomona in tournament play, a hard-fought triumph over Cal State San Bernardino in the first round of conference play and a pair of wins in Hawaii in a season-opening tournament - came in five sets.

The Golden Eagles, though, after going 5-1 in their first six five-set matches, went 1-3 over their final four, including losses to Stanislaus State and Cal State San Bernardino to end the regular-season. 

Samarah DaCoud had an outstanding sophomore season for the Golden Eagles and established herself as one of the top players in the country. She earned second-team All-America honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association, giving the Golden Eagles a fifth straight season with a player earning either first or second-team All-America honors. She also earned first-team All-West Region honors from the AVCA and second-team honors from the D2 Conference Commissioner's Association.

DaCoud led the team and the CCAA in kills with 467 and she was 10th in the country in both kills per set (4.41 per set) and points per set (4.99). She also ranked fifth in the CCAA with a .275 hitting percentage.

Her 467 kills are No. 6 in program history under the current scoring system and her 4.41 kills per set is No. 4. She also led the team in service aces with 36 and was second in digs with 277.

DaCoud also earned first-team All-CCAA honors and was joined on the first team by teammates Ayjah Landers and Zuhal Cetin.That gave the Golden Eagles three first-team selections for the first time since 2019.

Landers, who earned All-CCAA honorable mention in 2022 before missing the 2023 and 2024 seasons, made a triumphant return in 2025 and was a big contributor to the team. She was second on the team in kills with 336 and second in points with 395.5.

Cetin, who earned All-CCAA honorable mention in 2024, had her best season with the Golden Eagles in 2025 to conclude her indoor career. She was third on the team in kills with 227 and in points with 263 and she led the team in digs with 280.

Cal State L.A. Volleyball
2025 Overall Record: 17-9. CCAA Record: 13-5 (3rd place)
AVCA All-America: Samarah DaCoud (2nd team)
AVCA All-West Region: Samarah DaCoud (1st team)
D2CCA All-West Region: Samarah DaCoud (2nd team)
All-CCAA: Samarah DaCoud (1st team), Ayjah Landers (1st team), Zuhal Cetin (1st team)
AVCA National Player of the Week: Samarah DaCoud (week of Sept. 29-Oct. 5)
CCAA Player of the Week: Arielle Chandler (week of Sept. 22-28), Samarah DaCoud (week of Sept. 29-Oct. 5), Seriah Demski (week of Nov. 3-9)
CSC Academic All-District: Samarah DaCoud, Juliana Speiski, Madison Clark
2025 CCAA Fall Academic Honor Roll: TBA
2025-26 CCAA All-Academic Award: TBA
2025-26 D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award: TBA