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CONTACT:
| Cal State L.A. Women's Volleyball LOS ANGELES -- Cal State L.A. senior Dana Coffey (Inglewood, CA/Bishop Montgomery) tallied 14 kills and fellow senior Kristy Sain (Torrance, CA/West) posted 42 assists as the Golden Eagles swept the previously undefeated and #1 ranked team in the nation, Cal State, San Bernardino, 30-21, 30-25, 33-31. CSULA improves to 10-7, 6-4 CCAA. Cal State, San Bernardino falls to 17-1, 9-1 CCAA. CSULA began game one scoring the first two points, coming on kills by Breanna Lee (Chino, CA/Don Lugo) and freshman Lizelle Jackson (Palmdale, CA/Highland). The Golden Eagles increased their lead as Sain's distribution kept the CSUSB block off balance. With Cal State L.A. up 7-5, the team went on an 11-4 run, bumping its lead to 18-9. Three CSUSB errors started the scoring, while Sain's four assists to three different hitters kept the momentum going. Adding a service ace by freshman Tiare Tuitama (Stockton, CA/St. Mary's), successive kills by Jackson and Maegan Bergeson (Oceanside, CA/Rancho Buena Vista), and strong defensive play by freshman Leslie Smith (Valencia, CA/William S. Hart), CSULA maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the game before a Coffey kill from a Sain assist gave the Golden Eagles a 30-21 game one victory. Riding game one's momentum, the Golden Eagles continued to pressure the Coyotes in game two. Taking an early 1-0 lead on a Coffey kill, CSULA increased its lead to 10-5, riding three kills by Smith and one by Epps. After a CSUSB comeback gave the Coyotes a 16-13 lead, Cal State L.A. won nine of the next 11 points to regain the lead at 22-18, beginning with a Coffey service ace, and kills hammered by Jackson, Smith, Dione McCrea (Lompoc, CA/Cabrillo) and redshirt freshman Te'Ara Epps (Tulare, CA/Union). Coffey set the table for game two's victory with three consecutive kills, and McCrea sealed the deal with a kill from a Smith assist, giving the Golden Eagles a 30-25 victory. A kill by Bergeson led off the third and final game. The teams volleyed points in the early going, but several kills by Smith gave CSULA a comfortable lead at 20-14. Cal State, San Bernardino fought back, however, going on a 10-2 run, and took the lead at 23-22. The two teams continued battling back and forth, tying the score seven times through the remainder of the game. After consecutive kills by Coffey and Bergeson gave CSULA the lead back at 30-29, yet another Coffey kill set the table for the final point of the match coming on a Bergeson's ace, and the upset was complete. Cal State L.A.'s .358 team hitting percentage was the story of the night for the Golden Eagles. Coffey's 14 kills on 25 attempts led the way, adding four digs and three blocks in the process. Smith (12k-3e-22 TA, .409) and Epps (7k-0e-15 TA) helped keep the pressure on the CSUSB block, while Tuitama's 11 digs kept the Coyotes at bay defensively. Sain continued her steady play by dishing 42 assists, and adding two service aces, six digs and one block assist. Additionally, Sain's assists bumped her career total to 4,408, needing just 21 assists to become CSULA's career all-time assist leader. Cal State, San Bernardino was led by juniors Kim Morohunfola (18k-3e-21 TA, .714) and Kim Ford (17k-2e-32 TA, .469). Cal State L.A. next hosts Cal Poly Pomona Saturday night in the Eagles Nest.
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