LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.’s volleyball team will open its 2010 campaign with four matches over three days next month in the Cal State L.A./Cal Poly Pomona Invitational.
The Golden Eagles, who advanced to the NCAA Division II West Region Championship match last season, will play their first eight matches of the season in the Eagles Nest. Cal State L.A. has six starters returning from last year’s squad, which compiled a 23-9 overall record and finished the season ranked 15th in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Cal State L.A. will begin its season with a match against Northwood (MI) on Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Cal State L.A./Cal Poly Pomona Invitational. The Golden Eagles will also face Simon Fraser on Friday, Sept. 3 at 1 p.m., Academy of Art on Friday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. and Dixie State on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. Cal State L.A. will host six matches in all over the three days, including three on Saturday. Tournament matches will also be held at Cal Poly Pomona.
Following the tournament, Cal State L.A. will immediately begin California Collegiate Athletic Association play. The Golden Eagles will host Chico State on Sept. 10, Cal State Stanislaus on Sept. 11, defending CCAA and West Region champion Cal State San Bernardino on Sept. 17 and Cal Poly Pomona on Sept. 18. Those matches are all scheduled for 7 p.m. starts.
Cal State L.A. will be on the road for the next two weeks before returning home to face Cal State Dominguez Hills on Oct. 6, Humboldt State on Oct. 8 and Sonoma State on Oct. 9. The match against Sonoma State will start at 1 p.m. and serve as the lone afternoon conference match in the Eagles Nest this season.
After two more weeks away from home, Cal State L.A. will conclude its home schedule with matches against Cal State East Bay on Nov. 5 and UC San Diego on Nov. 6.
All 11 matches Cal State L.A. will play away from home this fall will be conference contests.
Cal State L.A. finished third in the CCAA last season and advanced to the NCAA playoffs as the No. 6 seed in the West. The Golden Eagles then upended No. 3 seed Sonoma State in five sets and No. 2 seed UC San Diego in three sets before falling to top-seed Cal State San Bernardino in the West Region championship match.
Head coach Randi Smart, in her second year leading the program, will welcome back 11 players, including six starters, from last year’s team. Four of those players – junior middle blocker Mary Laupepa, senior outside hitter Zuzana Cizova, sophomore middle blocker Marquis Mora and junior setter Kaylynne De La Rosa – earned All-CCAA honors. Laupepa earned first-team All-Conference recognition, while Cizova, Mora and De La Rosa earned second-team honors. Cizova was also named the CCAA Newcomer of the Year.