LOS ANGELES — Samarah DaCoud reached 1,000 career kills and delivered a match-high 28 as Cal State LA rallied for a 25-18, 20-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-6 victory over Cal State San Marcos Saturday in University Gym.
DaCoud reached the career milestone during a dominant opening set and finished the night with 28 kills, a .328 hitting percentage and 15 digs. Her double-double helped the Golden Eagles improve to 7-12 overall and 6-3 in conference play. Her 28 kills is also the third-best single match tally in her LA career.
Cal State LA needed DaCoud's firepower after falling behind two sets to one. The Golden Eagles responded by hitting .400 in the fourth set and an overwhelming .818 in the fifth, committing no attacking errors in the decisive frame.
DaCoud set the tone with 10 kills on 15 swings in the opening set, hitting .533 as Cal State LA pulled away for a 25-18 win. The Golden Eagles used a late 8-1 surge to break a 17-17 tie, and DaCoud supplied three kills during the closing run, including the set winner.
Cal State San Marcos answered by taking the second set, 25-20, and then moved ahead in the match with a narrow 25-23 victory in the third.
Facing defeat, Cal State LA opened the fourth set with an 8-2 advantage. The Cougars rallied to draw even at 18-18, but DaCoud ended the comeback with kills that gave the Golden Eagles leads of 20-18 and 22-19. Amber Walker and Mia Webster then closed out the set with consecutive kills to force a fifth.
The Golden Eagles controlled the final set after an early 1-1 tie. DaCoud recorded back-to-back kills for a 10-4 lead and added two more down the stretch, finishing the set with four kills on five attempts. Cal State LA scored four of the final five points, with Anaiya Cooper delivering the match-clinching kill.
Walker gave the Golden Eagles another big offensive performance with 18 kills and a .371 hitting percentage. Isabella Barrios was nearly flawless, collecting 11 kills without an error on 15 attempts for a .733 percentage. She also had four block assists.
Cooper added seven kills, while Ruby Ennis directed the offense with 43 assists and contributed 11 digs and four block assists. Juliana Speiski had 14 digs, Kylie Grundman added 13 and DaCoud finished with 15 as Cal State LA held a 71-57 advantage in digs.
The Golden Eagles finished with 69 kills, a .280 hitting percentage, eight service aces and 11 total blocks. Their strongest volleyball came with the match on the line, as they combined for 28 kills and only three errors over the final two sets.
The night, however, belonged to DaCoud, whose 28-kill performance carried Cal State LA to an important conference victory and placed her in the program's 1,000-kill club.
