SAN FRANCISCO – Two seemed to be the number of the day for the Cal State Dominguez Hills volleyball program Thursday.
 
Not only did the Toros take two wins over Concordia (Ore.) and Humboldt State at San Francisco State's gymnasium to start the annual D2 West Region Showcase, but Dominguez Hills improve to 5-0 to match the program's best start in exactly two decades. Since joining the NCAA/CCAA in 1981, only the 1999 and 2019 squads have reached the milestone.
 
The Toros edged the Cavaliers in five sets (19-25, 29-27, 25-20, 18-25, 17-15) while taking the Jacks for the second time in as many weeks in four games (25-22, 19-25, 25-14, 25-17).
 
Match 1 – CSUDH 3, CUO 2
It was big day for sophomore Alanni Carter, who tallied a career-high 20 kills along with 15 digs for a double-double, which was also a first. Senior Taylor Benitez-Fanslow also had a career twinbill match of 16 kills and 19 digs while junior Lynda Nguyen prevented 17 spikes from hitting the floor for a season-best.
 
Neither side won a game by more than 10 points. Although the Toros went on a 4-1 run late in the fourth game to cut Concordia's lead to 20-18, the Cavaliers got on a run that would eventually force a deciding set.
 
Dominguez Hills had to dig itself out of a 5-1 hole to start the fifth game. The Toros erased that four-point deficit by winning 6-of-8 rallies to tie the game at 11. After two failed attempts to clinch the match point, the third time was a charm as Rylee Brown delivered back-to-back kills to set the 17-15 score.
 
Match 2 – CSUDH 3, HSU 1
In the second of three scheduled matchups between the two CCAA schools, the Toros started the first set having to rally on two different occasions. Trailing 18-14, the Toros went on a 9-1 run to take a 23-19 lead. Benitez-Fanslow had three kills during that rally to lead the effort while four of those points came from Lumberjack errors. Dominguez Hills would eventually lock up the set behind successful spikes from Benitez-Fanslow and Brown.
 
While the Jacks took game two by six points, the Toros would take the final two sets in dominant fashion. They ran away in game three thanks to an 11-4 start while taking the fourth bout in similar fashion.
 
Sophomore Kalani Patrick had a career match by dishing out 35 assists while Benitez-Fanslow continued her hot start by racking up 15 kills, the third time she's reached double figures in that column this season. She came up two digs short from another double-double.  
 
Dominguez Hills' opportunity to go 6-0 will be Friday against Fresno Pacific at noon.

Editor's note: The CSUDH volleyball program began in 1976, however, the records are incomplete prior to the Toros joining the NCAA/CCAA in 1981.