Golden Eagles Picked Fourth In Close CCAA Poll

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CCAA Volleyball Coaches Preseason Poll

LOS ANGELES — Cal State LA’s women’s volleyball team has been picked to finish fourth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association in a preseason poll released on Wednesday.

Cal Poly Pomona picked up 11 of 12 first-place votes and accumulated 143 points to lead the poll in voting by the conference head coaches. San Francisco State, the national runner-up in 2024, was second with the remaining first-place vote and 117 points.

Cal State LA, the 2023 NCAA national champions, was fourth with 115 points, one point behind perennial power Cal State San Bernardino. The Coyotes were third with 116 points. Defending conferfence tournament champion Stanislaus State was fifth with 103 points and Cal State East Bay was sixth with 80 points. Cal State San Marcos was seventh with 69 points and was followed by Cal State Monterey Bay (50), Cal State Dominguez Hills (47), Cal Poly Humboldt (43), Chico State (36) and UC Merced (17).

The Golden Eagles had a strong follow-up to their national championship season and reached the CCAA Tournament championship match in 2024 and held a late lead before falling to San Francisco State in five sets in the NCAA West Regional.

That match ended the record-setting career of Emily Elliott, who holds Cal State LA and CCAA records for most career kills and points and single-season kills and points. 

The Golden Eagles, though, return four players who made the CCAA Preseason Watchlist, including sophomore Samarah DaCoud, who earned second-team All-CCAA honors last season as a redshirt freshman. Senior Zuhal Cetin, senior Jameson Sanders and sophomore Havannah Vogel all received CCAA All-Tournament honors a year ago and were mentioned on the CCAA Watchlist.

Cal State LA has eight seniors who were on the national championship roster, including Ayjah Landers, who returns from injury after last playing in 2022 when she earned All-CCAA honorable mention.

Brooke Paige, Rachel Lowe, Tehya Chadwick, Rebecca Topete, Arielle Chandler, Cetin, and Sanders are also preparing for their final season in the program with high hopes for 2025. In all, 13 players return from the 2024 roster.

In addition, Cal State LA has a talented group of 10 newcomers, who are expected to make major contributions in 2025. 

Cal State LA will open the 2025 season next week in the Hawaii Challenge. Cal State LA will play four matches in three days against Chaminade, Hawaii Pacific, St. Mary’s and Hawaii-Hilo in a tourney co-hosted by Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific.

The Golden Eagles will then host the Cal State LA Invitational on Sept. 11-13 with matches against Simon Fraser, Colorado Mesa and Cal Poly Pomona.