POMONA -- Cal State LA pushed Western Washington through four sets before falling, 25-9, 15-25, 25-19, 27-25, on Saturday at Kellogg Arena.
After Western Washington controlled the opening set, the Golden Eagles responded with their strongest offensive performance of the afternoon. Cal State LA recorded nine kills with only two attacking errors and hit .280 in the second set while limiting the Vikings to a negative-.028 percentage. The Golden Eagles won the frame, 25-15, to even the match.
Western Washington regained the lead with a 25-19 victory in the third set despite Cal State LA producing 12 kills.
The Golden Eagles delivered their best offensive output in the fourth, recording 15 kills in a tightly contested frame that featured 12 ties and eight lead changes. Cal State LA extended the set beyond 25 points before Western Washington secured the final two points for a 27-25 win.
Samarah DaCoud led the Golden Eagles with a match-high 16 kills and 11 digs to record a double-double. She also contributed four block assists and one service ace.
Isabella Barrios delivered an efficient performance with five kills on 10 attempts and only one error for a .400 hitting percentage. She led Cal State LA at the net with six total blocks, including one solo block.
Amber Walker and Anaiya Cooper added five kills apiece, while Oluwatoyin Sunday recorded three kills on seven attempts and hit .286.
Seriah Demski and McKinley Chase shared the setting duties with 11 assists and six digs each. Ruby Ennis added six assists, while Juliana Speiski contributed three assists and six digs.
Teegan Charapata recorded two of Cal State LA's five service aces and added five digs. Avalon Heintz, Demski and DaCoud collected one ace apiece.
Cal State LA held a 50-49 advantage in digs, while the teams finished even with 10 total blocks. Western Washington held narrow advantages in kills (43-41) and service aces (7-5) and finished with a .163 hitting percentage compared with .110 for the Golden Eagles.
The loss moved Cal State LA to 1-6 on the season, while Western Washington improved to 3-3. The Golden Eagles return to University Gym for its home opener on Friday against Menlo starting at 5 p.m.
