CARSON -- Good things come to those who wait. While not an ideal adage in the sports world when competing in arguably the best NCAA Division II conference in the nation, the Cal State Dominguez Hills volleyball team had to wait until its ninth match to pick up the first win of 2026, doing so in a thrilling five-setter against visiting Stanislaus State, 14-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 15-10.
Dakota Carvo led all hitters with17 kills and was bolstered by
Jaidan Alexander's 13 and
Ryann Bennett's 11 kills as CSUDH improves to 1-8 overall and 1-1 in the CCAA.
After dropping the first set and trailing 11-8 in the second, the Toros stormed back behind the strong serving of
Keilyn Flores to take a 15-14 lead, taking a 19-17 advantage after a
Malia Jones service ace, spurring a 6-3 run to close the set and even the match at 1-1.
The Warriors lived up to their namesake by taking the third set, only to have the hosts respond in the fourth by storming to an early 6-2 lead, and keeping a 20-15 lead late.
Stan State closed the gap and tied the set at 23-23 before a Kyle Leopard kill gave CSUDH set point and a block assists by
Natalia Walden-Schulz and Leopard sealed the frame, knotting the match at 2-2.
The Toros used that momentum to take a 6-1 lead in the decisive set, withstanding a Stan State run that saw them close to within three at 13-10.
That's when Carvo pummeled her final kill of the match to set up match point, with an ensuing Stan State attack error setting off a raucous celebration and sigh of relief in the Torodome.
Jones saved 17 balls on the defensive side with
Anna Sanzaro leading all players with four key service aces in the win as part of 12 total for the Cardinal and Gold, and Leopard stuffing a match-high nine balls at the net.
CSUDH will look to make it two-straight as it hits the road on September 18, taking on Menlo College.
