California State University at Northridge
Cal State Fullerton
Matadors Open Big West Play Tuesday Against Cal State Fullerton
9/18/2018 12:22:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
MATADORS THIS WEEK:
MATCH #13Â (BIG WESTÂ MATCH #1):
Cal State Fullerton Titans (6-6, 0-0) vs. CSUN Matadors (4-8, 0-0)
Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018 - 7 p.m. PDT
The Matadome (2,000) - Northridge, Calif.
Live Stats
Live Video
In-game Twitter updates:Â @CSUNWVB
MATCH #14Â (BIG WESTÂ MATCH #2):
Long Beach State 49ers (8-5, 0-0) vs. CSUN Matadors (4-8, 0-0
Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018 - 7 p.m. PDT
The Matadome (2,000) - Northridge, Calif.
Live Stats
Live Video
In-game Twitter updates:Â @CSUNWVB
FORÂ STARTERS
The CSUN Women's Volleyball team gets the week off to an early start Tuesday as the Matadors (4-8, 0-0 Big West) host Cal State Fullerton (6-6, 0-0) in their Big West opener at 7 p.m. The conference-opening homestand continues Saturday as CSUN hosts Long Beach State, also at 7 p.m.Â
FOLLOW YOUR MATADORS ONLINE
All Big West Conference matches will have live stats (links available on the women's volleyball schedule page at GoMatadors.com) and all non-televised home matches this season will streamed live by the CSUN Sports Network presented by Dignity Health via Big West TV. For road matches, related links to the match, including for any live stats, audio and video, will be posted before the match on the women's volleyball schedule page of GoMatadors.com. Fans are also encouraged to check the CSUN Athletics Department's official Twitter feed (@GoMatadors) and the volleyball-specific feed (@CSUNWVB) for news and notes throughout the week as well as updates of matches in progress.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Cal State Fullerton (6-6, 0-0) has lost five straight matches after opening the season 6-1. Last week, the Titans dropped matches to San Francisco (3-0) and Idaho (3-1) as part of the Titan Invitational in Fullerton. Senior OH Madeline Schneider is averaging a team-high 3.95 kills per set (sixth in Big West) while junior OH Felicia Marshall adds 2.74 kps. The Titans are hitting .198 as a team which ranks seventh in the conference. Series: Tuesday's match is the 48th all-time between the Matadors and Titans with CSUN holding a 36-11 lead in the series. The Matadors claimed both matches last season which ran their current streak to 14 straight over Fullerton.
Long Beach State (8-5, 0-0) has won five of its last six after defeating Lamar (3-1) and Fresno State (3-2) at the LBSU Mizuno Invitational last weekend. Offensively, junior Hailey Harward (2.96 kps) and freshman Kashauna Williams (2.75 kps) lead the 49ers who are the Big West's top blocking team at 2.30 bps. Freshman Allison Martinez ranks second in the conference in hitting at .370. Series: Saturday's match is the 42nd all-time between the Matadors and 49ers with Long Beach leading the series 29-12. The two teams split the two matches last season with each team winning in four at home. Â
OWENS MAKES IT FOUR-FOR-FOUR
For the fourth time in as many tournaments in 2018, senior Aeryn Owens was named to the All-Tournament team last weekend at Boise State. Owens was the Matador kill leader in two of the three matches, averaged 3.60 kills per set. She had 17 kills and eight digs on .278 hitting against Portland and had 14 kills and nine digs against Boise State. Owens heads into the conference season ranked fourth in the Big West avergaing 4.13 kills per set. The senior outside hitter was also named all-tournament at Sacramento State's Hornet Invitational, the CSUN/Pepperdine Challenge and NAU's Lumberjack Classic. Owens has now earned all-tournament honors seven times in her CSUN career.
CSUN IN BIG WEST OPENERS
CSUN brings an impressive record of 23-10 (.697) in 33 previous conference season openers into Tuesday's Big West opener against Cal State Fullerton. Since joining the Big West in 2001, the Matadors are 10-7 (.588) in conference openers and have won five straight dating back to a five-set win over UC Davis in 2013. Last year, CSUN won its Big West opener in four sets over the Titans in Fullerton. The last time the Matadors opened a conference season at home was 2015 when CSUN swept UC Irvine 25-18, 26-24, 25-20.
COACHES CORNER
Matador head coach Jeff Stork shares his thoughts each week on the team, this week's matches and other topics.
On opening the Big West season: "Once you get into conference, it's a whole new ballgame and the records don't matter. It's hard to quantify the strength of other teams' non-conference schedules and the strength of ours into how well you're going to do in the conference. I think we match up very well against Fullerton, Long Beach State has changed its style of play over the last year but they're always well coached. We'll get ready for Fullerton Tuesday then turns our attention to Long Beach."
MATADOR QUICK SETS
CSUN's 12 non-conference foes have compiled an overall record of 83-62 this season and a winning percentage of .572 ... Three Matador setters have at least 74 sets this season. Hannah Merjil leads the trio with 229 (4.98 aps), Kamalu Makekau-Whittaker has 152 (4.47 aps) and Erin Indermill has 74 (2.85 aps) ... Five CSUN players (Markle, McLeod, Nevarez, Owens, Salone) have played in all 47 sets this season ... The Matadors fell to 0-2 against ranked teams this season after falling to No. 13 Washington. Portland was also receiving votes in the Sept. 17 poll.Â
OWENS CAREER KILLS COUNTER
With 36 kills over three matches last weekend, senior Aeryn Owens moved up another spot on the CSUN career kills list with 1,283. Owens, who ranked 11th with 1,109 kills heading into the season, now ranks fourth in school history. Owens has moved past seven players (Angela Hupp, Mahina Haina, Alexis Cormier, Cieana Stinson, Casey Hinger, Natalie Allen and Nancy Nicholls) this season on the Matador career kills list. Owens now trails Kathleen Dixon (1987-90) and third place by 43 kills.Â
| 1. | Laura Walter (1998-01) | 1,694 |
| 2. | Missy Clements (1991-94) | 1,484 |
| 3. | Kathleen Dixon (1987-90) | 1,326 |
| 4. | Aeryn Owens (2015-) | 1,283 |
| 5. | Nancy Nicholls (1989-92) | 1,251 |
| 6. | Casey Hinger (2011-14) | 1,215 |
| 6. | Natalie Allen (2010-14) | 1,215 |
| 8. | Cieana Stinson (2012-15) | 1,213 |
| 9. | Alexis Cormier (1998-01) | 1,196 |
| 10. | Mahina Haina (2010-13) | 1,181 |
| 11. | Angela Hupp (2006-09) | 1,122 |
| 12. | Nancy Ma (1996-98) | 1,030 |
| 13 | Ana Kristich (1991-94) | 1,004 |
CSUN ON ESPN3
The Big West Conference announced Tuesday, Sept. 11 its fall ESPN3 streaming schedule and CSUN will be featured three times, all at home. The Matadors will host UC Davis on Oct. 5 at 7 p.m., nationally-ranked Cal Poly on Oct. 19 and Hawai'i on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.
UP NEXT
Following the two-match homestand, the Matadors head up the coast for two matches beginning Sept. 28 at No. 15 Cal Poly. CSUN also visits UC Santa Barbara (Oct. 2) before returning home Oct. 5 to face UC Davis.
#GoMatadors
