Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CARSON -- True freshmen Cassie Taylor and Ava Hurry led Cal State Dominguez Hills with 12 kills each in CSUDH's two matches to open the 2022 Toro Classic, but Western Colorado and No. 25 Winona State both won five-set thrillers as CSUDH drops to 2-3 on the young season.

vs. Western Colorado
The Mountaineers held off a late Toro charge to pick up its first win of the year in a 25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-12 thriller as the Toros kicked off their home schedule with the opening match of the Toro Classic.

Ava Hurry was quick to get the hosts off on the right foot, using her serve for an early 5-1 lead.  WC, however, mounted a rally of its own, rattling off five-straight points to take an 8-6 lead to give fans a preview of what would be a back-and-forth battle in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

With the set tied at 13, the Mountaineers used a 7-3 run to take control late before taking the opener, 25-23.

The second set saw more of the same as early runs by both squads saw CSUDH take a slim 13-11 lead on a Samaya Royal hammer, spurring a run to take control of the frame at 20-16. WC clawed to within 24-22 after a block assist, only to give the set to the Toros on an ensuing service error. 

The Mountaineers started strong after intermission with set three's first three points, maintaining the edge at 14-11 and 24-21 before taking a 2-1 match lead.

Down a set, CSUDH jumped out to an early 6-4 advantage, using Shelby Saporetti's serve to build a 16-12 lead.  WC clawed back to knot the set at 21-all before a Mountaineer service error gave a point and the serve back to the Toros, where Mya Tillman produced a two points to bring the hosts to set point, with an ensuing Saporetti hammer setting up a winner-take-all fifth.

With momentum donning cardinal and gold, the Toros took charge of the final set, racing to a 5-0 lead.  That quickly disappeared, however after a pair of WC kills and CSUDH attack errors.  With the frame knotted at 12-12, Western Colorado scored the match's final three points, the last coming on a service ace, to hold off the Toros and take the 3-2 decision.

CSUDH hit just .106, with six less service aces, five more block errors and six more serve receive miscues contributing to the setback.

vs No. 25 Winona State

Against the nationally-ranked Warriors from Minnesota, the Toros took the first two sets to give WSU five-straight losses after Stanislaus State swept them the match before.  But living up to their moniker, WSU stormed back to take the final three sets in the 22-25, 25-27, 25-15 25-17, 15-9 thriller.

In the opener, the Warriors raced to an 8-3 lead before Angelina Cabal's serve earned six points to bring the Toros in front, 11-9.  Cabal's namesake, Angelina Robles, followed suit, serving consecutive aces as part of a four-point run to give the hosts a 16-12 cushion.

After the Warriors regrouped to knot the set at 20, three WSU errors down the stretch gave CSUDH the set one win.

Winona State looked to even the match in the second set, taking a 9-6 lead early.  Hurry then took her turn at the service line, serving four-straight points to give CSUDH a 13-10 lead.  Just like the opener, WSU tied the set at 16, only to see the Toros reel off four-straight, courtesy of Taylor at the service line.

The Warriors had one more run in them as they turned a the 20-16 deficit into a 24-21 lead, only to have Hurry reply with a pair of hammers to tie the frame at 24-24, before a Warrior error, a Royal blast, and the final WSU error of the frame put the finishing touches on the set to give CSUDH a seemingly comfortable 2-0 edge in the match.

That comfort disappeared quickly as the Warriors lived up to their namesake, taking the next two sets to force a deciding fifth, and the second winner-take-all set for the Toros on the day.

Splitting the first 16 points, CSUDH took what would be the last lead of the match on a Royal blast as WSU finished strong with the match's final seven points to complete its improbable come-from-behind win.

The Toros hit .104 for the match and made two fewer errors than WSU, but Winona tallied 19 more kills in the marathon.

Warrior Jaci Winchell eclipsed the 50 set mark, assisting on 52 balls for Winona State.

The Toros and Stanislaus State will face off in the final match of the tournament tomorrow, with first serve set for 1:30 pm in the Torodome.