SANTA ANA - The Dons fell to Golden West College in straight sets to fall to 0-3 in the Orange Empire Conference while the Rustlers improve to 3-0 and remain atop the conference standings.

Marissa Kohler opened the match with a kill that gave the Dons (2-8) an early 1-0 lead before Golden West went on a 10-2 run to jump out to a 10-3 lead. From there, the Rustlers (9-2) continued to build their lead before winning the set 25-10.

The second set found the Dons with early leads of 2-0 and 3-2 before Golden West went on a 7-0 run to claim a 9-3 lead. Tori Sparks snapped that run with a kill but the Rustlers wouldn't relinquish the large lead as they went on to take a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-13 win.

The third set opened as the most competitive as the Dons rallied from a 7-3 deficit, capped off by a Sparks' service ace that made the score 8-7 in favor of Golden West. The score remained close at 12-10 but the Rustlers pulled away with a 7-0 run to take a commanding 19-10 lead before winning the set, and the match, by a final score of 25-18.

The Dons hit the road for the next match as they travel to Cypress College on Wednesday, October 10. Match time is 7:00 p.m.