Playing in their final non-conference test before opening Cal Pac play, the Golden Eagles travelled to The Master's College tonight to face a Mustangs squad who defeated them in straight sets, a couple of weeks ago, at the Hope International tournament. But tonight's outcome had a different script as the Golden Eagles fought their way to a 3-2 victory (25-19, 18-25, 25-21, 20-25, 15-10) for their first win of the season.

La Sierra nearly pulled an upset before falling to Biola University in five sets at that same HIU tournament before being swept by the Mustangs in the second half. But tonight might show just how much this young squad is growing with each match they get under their belt.

Carried by their two freshmen outside hitters, Kiana Krumm and Michele Mendizabel, the Golden Eagles improve to 1-4 on the season. Both Krumm and Mendizabel each tallied 16 kills on the night.

Marisa Fregoso dished out 23 assists, while Smriti Sharma added 14 assists of her own. Emily Morgan led the team with 15 digs, while Krumm contributed nine digs and Mendizabel finished with seven digs. In addition to running the offense, Fregoso also added six digs and four service aces.

As a team, the Golden Eagles serving just might have been the difference in tonight's victory. They finished the match with a total of 16 aces, compared to six for the Mustangs. Mendizabel led the way with five service aces, followed by Fregoso's four and Krumm's three aces.

The win couldn't have come at a better time, with the Golden Eagles looking to carry the confidence and momentum into Friday's Cal Pac opener. La Sierra will host Simpson University, at 2pm, this coming Friday. The team will follow that match with another conference match-up against Pacific Union College, on Saturday night, at 8pm.