Cal State LA women’s volleyball fought through mental lapses and tough stretches on Friday, but still found a way to pull out a 3-2 victory over Cal State San Bernardino at the University Gym.

“We struggled a lot during the beginning of the game, I think we were not there mentally but then we trusted each other on the court,” outside hitter Zuhal Cetin said. I think we just shook it off and trusted one another, if the block was not there then we did defense, if the defense wasn’t there we were hitting the ball super aggressive.” 

Outside hitter Samarah DaCoud led the Golden Eagles with a dominant all-around performance with 15 kills and 19 digs. Her consistency on both offense and defense kept Cal State LA within striking distance even as momentum shifted back and forth.

Alongside her, Zuhal Cetin continued to be a steady force, adding 11 kills and 14 digs, while opposite hitter Rebecca Topete delivered one of the best matches of her career. 

Topete posted a career-high 12 kills, along with two digs and two blocks, giving golden eagles a much needed boost at the net. 

Even with the strong individual efforts, Cal State LA had trouble handling Cal State San Bernardino’s size and pressure up front. 

DaCoud acknowledged how tough the coyotes made things at the net.

“I think San Bernardino put up great blocks and I think that was difficult to get around, but we found a way,” DaCoud said.

Head coach Juan Figueroa said the match was far from clean. 

“I thought that the game play was really ugly, it wasn’t good volleyball from both sides, the amount of errors from both sides, they did not allow any team to really settle in,” Figueroa said.

Still, Figueroa pointed to one late turning point that sealed the Golden Eagles win “They (Cal State San Bernardino) missed four serves in a row in the fifth set, it let us get a lead and get out with the dub.”

The Golden Eagles (7-3, 3-0 CCAA) opened strong with a 25-20 win in the first set, but lost momentum and dropped the next two, 22-25 and 19-25. They rallied in the fourth set, dominating 25-15, before stealing the match in a 15-12 fifth-set battle.

For San Bernardino (7-3, 2-1 CCAA), outside hitter Kacie Pedersen tallied 10 kills and 12 digs, while Kisa Sagiao posted a team-high 11 kills. Jayden Chornomud chipped in 20 digs.

Both teams struggled with errors and missed serves, but Cal State LA came out on top in the end. 

In Saturday’s matchup against Cal State East Bay, the Golden Eagles won 3-1.