Golden Eagles Sweep Vanguard for First Win of the Season
SAN BERNARDINO -- Cal State LA earned its first victory of the 2026 season with a dominant three-set sweep of Vanguard on Saturday at Coussoulis Arena. The Golden Eagles secured the match by scores of 25-19, 25-18 and 25-14.
In their second match of the day, the Golden Eagles forced a fifth set, but fell to Westmont, 25-18, 21-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-11. It was the second five-set match of the tournament for Cal State LA (1-3).
Cal State LA set the tone in their first match of the day with an efficient offensive performance in the opening set. The Golden Eagles recorded 12 kills with only three errors, hitting .360 on their way to a 25-19 victory.
After four ties and two lead changes in the second set, Cal State LA pulled away to earn a 25-18 win and take control of the match. The Golden Eagles then closed out the sweep with a commanding third set, holding Vanguard to a -.148 hitting percentage in the 25-14 victory.
Samarah DaCoud led Cal State LA with 11 kills on 15 attempts and only three errors for a .533 hitting percentage. She also contributed a team-high eight digs and two assists.
Amber Walker added nine kills, one solo block and two block assists. Havannah Vogel and Oluwatoyin Sunday recorded four kills apiece, with Vogel contributing four block assists. Isabella Barrios added two kills, one solo block and two block assists.
The Golden Eagles were especially effective from the service line, finishing with 14 aces and only two service errors. Seriah Demski led the way with a career-high five aces, while Ruby Ennis recorded four, Juliana Speiski added three and Kylie Grundman contributed two.
Ennis directed the offense with 12 assists and added six digs. Demski finished with seven assists and five digs, while Speiski contributed four assists and five digs.
Cal State LA held advantages in kills (32-26), hitting percentage (.185-.036), service aces (14-5), digs (31-25) and total blocks (8-6). The Golden Eagles also limited Vanguard to seven or fewer kills in each of the final two sets.
In the nightcap, the Golden Eagles came up big in the fourth set to extend the match against Westmont, but fell short in the fifth. DaCoud had a season-high 25 kills and 18 digs, while Mia Webster had nine kills and three blocks and Finley Charapata had eight kills. Ennis had 26 set assists and Speiski had a team-high 21 digs.
Cal State LA will return to action on Thursday on the opening day of Cal Poly Pomona's Bronco Classic.
