Box Score
SAN BERNARDINO -- Cal State L.A.'s women's volleyball team left little doubt Friday -- the Golden Eagles are headed to the NCAA West Regional championship game for the first time since 2005.
The Golden Eagles, ranked 19th in the country, led from start to finish in a 25-21, 25-21, 25-22 win over No. 3 UC San Diego Friday in "The Den" at Cal State San Bernardino. Cal State L.A. (23-8) will face top-seed Cal State San Bernardino for the West Region championship on Saturday at 7 p.m. in "The Den."
The Golden Eagles beat the Tritons for the first time in three meetings this season and knocked UC San Diego out of the NCAA playoffs for the second straight year. Last year, the Golden Eagles beat the Tritons in five sets. This year, the match lasted three.
The Golden Eagles, seeded No. 6 in the West Region, have knocked out No. 3 seed Sonoma State and No. 2 seed UC San Diego in consecutive days.
Gabriela Bulawczyk led the Golden Eagles with 15 kills, while Zuzana Cizova added 12 kills, 13 digs and four blocks. Kaylynne De La Rosa had a tremendous match with 36 set assists, five kills and five digs.
Sylvia Schmidt, the California Collegiate Athletic Association's Player of the Year, had 12 kills for the Tritons, while Katie Condon added 10.
Cal State L.A. held a 44-41 advantage in kills, a 9.5 - 2 edge in blocks and had 50 digs to 38 for the Tritons. The Golden Eagles hit at a .333 percentage, while UC San Diego hit at a .200 clip.
Stefanie Gay had a team-high 14 digs for the Golden Eagles.
The Golden Eagles were unfazed by the UC San Diego pep band, which set up across from the Cal State L.A. bench for two of the match's three sets. Cal State L.A. was also unfazed by a UC San Diego team that came into the contest with only two losses on the season. The Golden Eagles fell to the Tritons in five sets in Los Angeles on Sept. 18 and in four sets in La Jolla on Oct. 23.
Unlike Thursday's first-round match, the Golden Eagles got off to a quick start and never wavered. After trailing early, 15-12, Cal State L.A. went on an 8-0 run to take command of the opening set. Cizova, serving right in front of the Triton band, served for seven straight points to put the Golden Eagles ahead, 20-12. UC San Diego made a late bid at a comeback and cut the deficit to 24-21, but a block by Laupepa, Kassie Faulkner and Cizova gave the Golden Eagles the set.
Cal State L.A. gave up the first three points of the second set, but surged to take a 15-12 lead. UC San Diego rallied back from a 19-16 deficit and took a 21-20 lead after a kill by Schmidt, but Cal State L.A. responded with the final five points of the set. A kill by Bulawczyk started the run and De La Rosa served for the next four points. UC San Diego, without any timeouts left, had no answer for a block by Faulkner and Laupepa, a kill by Laupepa, a block by Faulkner and Laupepa and an attack error.
The Golden Eagles scored the first two points of the third set and kept the pressure on the Tritons the rest of the way. Cal State L.A. opened up an 18-12 lead after a 4-0 run that included a kill by Cizova, a kill by Bulawczyk, a kill by De La Rosa and a kill by Marquis Mora.
UC San Diego battled back strongly and made for some anxious moments at the end. The Tritons closed to within 23-21 after a kill by Schmidt, but a service error got the Golden Eagles to match point at 24-21 and, after a kill by Condon kept the Tritons in it, a kill by Bulawczyk ended the match.
Cal State L.A. is now 14-2 in its last 16 matches.
The Golden Eagles will now face Cal State San Bernardino for the regional title. Those same two teams met the last time Cal State L.A. was in a regional championship match in 2005 and the Golden Eagles prevailed in five sets in the Eagles Nest.