Cal State L.A.’s women’s volleyball team made an impressive late-season run in 2009 and added to its lofty credentials as one of the top programs in the country.
The Golden Eagles qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs as the No. 6 seed and recorded playoff wins over No. 3 seed Sonoma State and No. 2 seed UC San Diego before falling in the regional championship match to No. 1 seed and tournament host Cal State San Bernardino.
Cal State L.A. added to its impressive resume of postseason success. The Golden Eagles advanced to the NCAA playoffs for a sixth straight year, made it to the regional semi-finals for a fifth straight time and reached the regional championship match for the first time since winning the regional and advancing to the national semi-finals in 2005.
Cal State L.A. was making its 15th NCAA Division II playoff appearance, which is second among current West Region programs.
The Golden Eagles finished the season with a 23-9 overall record and won more than 20 matches for a second straight season. The 23 wins were the most since Cal State L.A. went 28-3 in 2005.
Cal State L.A. also did well in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, finishing third with a conference mark of 17-5. The third-place finish was the best for Cal State L.A. since the Golden Eagles won a share of the conference title in 2005.
First-year head coach
Randi Smart guided the Golden Eagles to the regional championship match despite having a young squad that had only two seniors on the roster.
The Golden Eagles finished ranked 15th in the country, marking the fifth straight year Cal State L.A. has appeared in the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s final poll.
Cal State L.A. had to overcome a slow start in order to notch its 13th consecutive winning season.
The Golden Eagles, missing a pair of starters to open the season, were only 4-3 after seven non-conference matches and, after opening CCAA play with two losses in three contests, stood at 5-5 after their first 10 matches of the season.
Cal State L.A. responded with 16 wins in its last 19 regular-season matches. The Golden Eagles only had losses to Cal State San Bernardino and UC San Diego during that stretch. Perhaps most importantly, the Golden Eagles found the ability to win tough five-set matches, something that served them well in the NCAA playoffs. Cal State L.A. lost its four five-set decisions, but posted back-to-back five-set wins over Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal Poly Pomona down the stretch.
The Golden Eagles faced a five-set match in their NCAA playoff opener, but rallied to eliminate No. 3 seed Sonoma State, 20-25, 25-16, 23-25, 25-20, 15-12. On the second day, Cal State L.A. put together arguably its most complete match of the season in a 25-21, 25-21, 25-22 victory over No. 2 seed UC San Diego. The Golden Eagles knocked the Tritons out of the playoffs for a second straight season.
The impressive post-season run ended in a three-set loss to host Cal State San Bernardino.
Bulawczyk also earned first-team All-CCAA honors for a second straight season and joined Laupepa on the first team. Cizova, De La Rosa and freshman Marquis Mora were named to the second team. Cizova was named the CCAA Newcomer of the Year, an award that Bulawczyk claimed in 2008.
Bulawczyk also earned AVCA All-Region honors for a second straight year, earning honorable mention. She led the Golden Eagles in kills for a second straight year with 434. That total was the sixth-best in the program’s history. She was also second in service aces with 28 and digs with 358. Mora led in blocks with 112, which was the fifth-best single-season total in the program’s history. Gay led with 488, which set a new single-season program mark, eclipsing the old mark of 486 set by Jamie Griffin in 1997. Laupepa led in service aces with 36 and De La Rosa led in set assists with 1,149, which was 10th all-time.
Cal State L.A. Volleyball
2009 Overall Record: 23-9. CCAA Record: 17-5 (3rd)
Final National Ranking: 15
Final Regional Ranking: 6
AVCA All-West Region: Gabriela Bulawczyk (OH), honorable mention
All-CCAA: Gabriela Bulawczyk (OH), 1st team; Mary Laupepa (MB), 1st team; Zuzana Cizova (OH), 2nd team; Kaylynne De La Rosa (S), 2nd team; Marquis Mora (MB), 2nd team.
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Zuzana Cizova (OH), 2nd team
West Regional All-Tournament Team: Gabriela Bulawczyk, Zuzana Cizova, Mary Laupepa, Stefanie Gay, Kaylynne De La Rosa
2009 Recap: Cal State L.A.’s women’s volleyball team added to its rich program history by advancing to the NCAA Division II West Region playoffs for the sixth straight year and reaching the West Region championship match for the first time since 2005. The Golden Eagles also reached at least the regional semi-finals for a fifth straight year. The Golden Eagles finished third in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with a 17-5 record, the best finish for Cal State L.A. since it shared the conference championship in 2005. The Golden Eagles reached the NCAA playoffs for the 10th time in the past 11 years. Cal State L.A. made an impressive postseason run, beating No. 3 seed Sonoma State in five sets and No. 2 seed UC San Diego in three sets before falling to No. 1 seed and tournament host Cal State San Bernardino in the regional championship match. Senior Gabriela Bulawczyk led the Golden Eagles with 434 kills and was second in digs with 358 and service aces with 28. Junior Stefanie Gay set a new program single-season record for digs with 488, eclipsing the old mark of 486 set by Jamie Griffin in 1997. Freshman Marquis Mora led the team in blocks with 112, which was the fifth-highest total in the program’s history. Mary Laupepa led in service aces with 36.
Cal State L.A. Volleyball History
In Cal State L.A. History:
-- 15 NCAA Playoff Appearances, 10 in last 11 years
-- 78 All-CCAA Player Awards
-- 24 All-West Region Player Awards
-- 13 All-America Player Awards
-- 3 CCAA Players of the Year
-- Cal State L.A. is only CCAA volleyball team to go 30-0 in regular season (2000)
-- Cal State L.A. is only CCAA volleyball team to go 22-0 in conference play during a single season (2000)
AVCA Division II Times Ranked In National Poll (All-Time)
(CCAA programs included)
Cal State L.A. 169
Cal Poly Pomona 153
CS San Bernardino 149
UC San Diego 126
Chico State 79
(No other CCAA program has more than 50 weeks)
AVCA Division II Times Ranked In Final End Of Season Poll
(CCAA programs included)
Cal State L.A. 15
Cal Poly Pomona 13
CS San Bernardino 10
UC San Diego 8
Chico State 5
Sonoma State 2
(No other CCAA program has been in a final end-of-season poll)
AVCA Highest Final End Of Season Ranking
CS San Bernardino 2 (2009)
Cal State L.A. 3 (1994)
Cal Poly Pomona 5 (1992)
UC San Diego 5 (2006)
Chico State 11 (1992)