California State University Northridge Athletics
California State University at Northridge
Vanguard University
CSUN Looks to Get Back on Track With Pair of Tri-Duals This Week
3/31/2021 3:15:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
MATADORS THIS WEEK:
Friday, Apr. 2, 2021
CSUN Beach Volleyball Complex - Northridge, Calif.
CSUN vs. Vanguard University - 11:00 a.m.
CSUN vs. Pacific - 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, Apr. 3, 2021
CSUN Beach Volleyball Complex - Northridge, Calif.
CSUN vs. Concordia-Irvine - 11:00 a.m.
CSUN vs. Saint Katherine - 3:00 p.m.
In-game Twitter updates:Â @CSUNBeach
FORÂ STARTERS
The CSUN Matadors (5-9) return to Northridge for a pair of tri-dual matches this week, hosting Vanguard and Pacific on Friday (Apr. 2) before a Saturday tri-dual with Concordia-Irvine and St. Katherine (Apr. 3). The Matadors have dropped five straight duals since sweeping Colorado Mesa at CSUN on Mar. 22. The Matadors are 5-4 on their home sand heading into the weekend's play.
FOLLOW YOUR MATADORS ONLINE
Follow CSUN Matadors beach volleyball on-line at the official home of CSUN athletics, www.GoMatadors.com. For road matches, related links to the match, including for any live stats, audio and video, will be posted before the match on the beach volleyball schedule page of GoMatadors.com. Fans are also encouraged to check the CSUN Athletics Department's official Twitter feed (@GoMatadors) and the beach volleyball-specific feed (@CSUNBeach) for news and notes throughout the week as well as updates of matches in progress.
Unfortunately all CSUN events on campus this Spring will be held without spectators. Our campus remains closed to all but essential personnel and we must discourage fans from attempting to watch a game from outside the venue. Matador Athletics understands and recognizes the disappointment felt by fans, particularly the families of our student-athletes and coaches, who are unable to show their support in person and appreciates everyone's effort in creating the safest possible environment for student-athletes, coaches and team staff. All of the rules and protocols that have been established are for the protection of our student-athletes, coaches and staff and will allow them to compete.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Vanguard University (8-5)Â has split its last two tri-duals, sweeping Hope International (5-0) and topping The Master's (3-2) on Mar. 26 before falling to Pepperdine (5-0) and Loyola Marymount (5-0) on Mar. 30. The Matadors dropped the No. 1 pair in their first meeting with Vanguard (Mar. 13) before claiming the final four pairs in a 4-1 win.
Series: The Matadors and Lions have met six times in beach volleyball with CSUN claiming all six previous dual matches, the first four coming by 5-0 sweep.
Pacific (0-0) will open its 2021 season Friday in Northridge. The Tigers were scheduled to get the season underway Mar. 28 at a pairs tournament at San Jose State but didn't participate in the event.
Series: The Matadors and Tigers have previously met twice times in beach volleyball with each team claiming a win. The two teams last met in 2018 in Santa Cruz with CSUN taking a 4-1 decision. Pacific won the initial meeting (5-0) in Long Beach during the 2015 season.
Concordia-Irvine (3-6) has dropped three straight since defeating Colorado Mesa (4-1) on Mar. 23. The Eagles have since dropped dual matches to No. 17 Long Beach State (5-0), No. 6 Loyola Marymount (5-0) and No. 7 Pepperdine (5-0). One of Concordia's three wins this season came over the Matadors on Mar. 12 when the Eagles claimed a 3-2 decision.
Series: The Matadors and Eagles have met eight times in beach volleyball with CSUN holding a 6-2 advantage in the all-time series. The Matadors had won four straight duals in the series before Concordia won 3-2 in Northridge earlier this season.
St. Katherine (0-0) also opens its 2021 season with Saturday's tri-dual with CSUN and Concordia. The Firebirds finished the 2020 season with a 3-4 record game but were on a three-match winning streak when the season ended. Lauren DeTurk was named head coach of the beach program in April, 2020.
Series: Saturday's dual match is the first-ever meeting between CSUN and St. Katherine in beach volleyball.
TO RECAP
CSUN slipped to 5-9 on the season after dropping all five dual matches at the Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex in San Luis Obispo last weekend. The Matadors fell to No. 19 Long Beach State (5-0) and No. 10 Hawai'i (5-0) on Friday before dropping Saturday duals to UC Davis (3-2), No. 5 Cal Poly (5-0) and CSU Bakersfield (3-2) .
#19 LONG BEACH STATE 5, CSUN 0
In a round-robin style event featuring six Big West beach volleyball teams, the Matadors drew Long Beach State in their opening dual. The Beach picked up the first point of dual when Alice Pratesi and Skylar Germann swept Lauren McMurray and Kailey Kleinby the score of 21-19, 21-13. Mari Molina and Tyler Spriggs made it 2-0 Long Beach with a 21-12, 21-15 sweep over Meagan Carterand Lauren Eknoian in the No. 1 pair. Darbi Honeycutt and Mikaela Maughan fell 21-12, 21-18 to Kenzie Holtz and Makenzie Griffin in the No. 3 pair as Long Beach captured the team win. Jillian Rodriguez and Emily Mattoon made it 4-0 with a 21-15, 21-10 victory over Victoria Rogers and Abbey Sweeting leaving only the No. 2 dual remaining CSUN's Lexi McLeod and Seyvion Waggoner dropped the opening set 21-19 before claiming the second set 21-17. The Matador duo came up just short in the deciding set, 15-12 sealing the 5-0 win for Long Beach State.
#10 HAWAI'I 5, CSUN 0
The Matadors capped day one in San Luis Obispo by taking on the 10th-ranked Rainbow Wahine and Hawai'i didn't drop a set in the 5-0 win. Amber Igiede and Brooke Van Sickle made quick work of Carter and Eknoian, 21-11, 21-10 in the No. 1 pair before Harlee Kekauoha and Lea Kruse made it 2-0 with a 21-15, 21-5 victory over McLeod and Waggoner. Hawai'i picked up the win when the No. 4 match went final with Kaylee Glagau and Ilihia Huddleston sweeping McMurray and Klein by the count of 21-14, 21-8. Riley Wagoner and Kylin Loker made it 4-0 with a 21-5, 21-15 win over True McCullough and Emily Sparks at No. 5 before finishing off the sweep when Jamie Santer and Pani Napoleon topped Honeycutt and Maughan, 21-15, 21-18.
UC DAVIS 3, CSUNÂ 2
After falling to a pair of ranked teams on Friday, the Matadors looked to break into the win column Saturday morning against the Aggies. UC Davis picked up the first point when Paloma Bowman and Colleen McGuire swept Meagan Carter and Lauren Eknoian, 21-14, 21-19 in the No. 1 pair. CSUN then pulled even when True McCullough and Emily Sparks topped Bailey Herdman and Nicole Andrade in the No. 5 pair by the score of 21-16, 24-22. In the No. 4 pair, Lauren McMurray and Kailey Klein claimed a hard-fought three-set 17-21, 21-15, 15-7 victory over Alicia Letvin and Summer Bouquet to put the Matadors one win from the team victory. The final two matches went the distance and both went to the Aggies as Jane Seslar and Ashlee Goycoochea held off Darbi Honeycutt and Mikaela Maughan (21-19, 20-22, 15-9) at No. 3 and Heather Reed and Megan Luly held off Lexi McLeod and Seyvion Waggoner (21-16, 22-24, 15-12) at No. 2.
#5 CAL POLY 5, CSUN 0
The Matadors then ran into the host Mustangs who came into the week ranked No. 5 in the AVCA national beach poll. On its home sand, Cal Poly didn't drop a set in sweeping all five matches in the dual. Macy Gordon and Emily Sonny swept McLeod and Waggoner in the No. 1 pair by the count of 21-10, 21-12. Jayelin Lombard and Amy Ozee then made quick work of Honeycutt and Maughan in the No. 2 spot, 21-16, 21-7 before Cal Poly made it three straight sweeps when Eleonore Johansen and Sam Strah topped McMurray and Klein, 21-16, 21-9 at No. 3. True McCullough and Emily Sparks took the second set in the No. 4 pair to extra points before falling to Laurie McGrath and Erika Foreman, 21-19, 26-24 before the Mustangs capped the victory with 22-20, 21-16 win by Delaney Peranich and Kalee Graff over Victoria Rogers and Abbey Sweeting at No. 5.
CSU BAKERSFIELD 3, CSUN 2
Looking to salvage the weekend's finale, the Matadors again came up just shy in a 3-2 decision to the Roadrunners. Hayley McCluskey and Mapuhola Sekona topped McMurray and Klein, 21-12, 21-15 in the No. 4 pair to get the dual underway before CSUN evened the dual behind Honeycutt and Maughan's 21-17, 21-13 sweep over Brooke Boiseau and Anna Unke at No. 3. Milica Vukobrat and Cameron Solberg made it 2-1 CSUB with a 21-16, 21-19 victory over McLeod and Waggoner at No. 2. Leisa Elisaia and Alaina Gendale then held off McCullough and Sparks, 22-20, 25-23 in a tightly contested match at No. 5 to clinch the win before Carter and Eknoian made the final 3-2 with a three-set (12-21, 21-19, 18-16) victory over Emily Hansen Hana Makonova.
BIG WEST BEACH VOLLEYBALL
2021 marks CSUN's sixth season as a member of the Big West Conference in beach volleyball. The Matadors are 4-8 all-time in the Big West Tournament which was not held in 2020 due to COVID-19.
The Matadors were the No. 4 seed in the seven-team field at the 2019 Big West Tournament at Zuma Beach in Malibu. CSUN finished 2-2 in the championship tournament, their best showing since also finishing 2-2 in the inaugural conference tournament in 2016.Â
After winning two of three matches on the opening day, CSUN came up empty against No. 3 seed Long Beach State on Saturday and was the fourth squad eliminated from the tournament. Cal Poly, the No. 2 seed, went undefeated in four tournament matches to capture its first conference championship along with the Big West's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. Hawai'i, the top seed coming in, finished second.
At the 2018 championship in Hawai'i, the Matadors were seeded fourth in the six-team field in but were upset by fifth-seeded CSU Bakersfield in the opening round (3-2). CSUN then fell to No. 2 seed Cal Poly in an elimination match (5-0). The Matadors were also seeded fourth at the 2017 Big West Tournament held at Pismo Beach, but fell to Sacramento State (3-2) and Cal Poly (5-0) in their two tournament matches. In 2016, CSUN was the third seed in the inaugural conference tournament before finishing 2-2 including a close 3-2 loss to Cal Poly in a third-round elimination match at Huntington Beach.Â
CSUN BEACH VOLLEYBALL HISTORY
The Matadors are 60-73 (.451) all-time in seven years of beach volleyball, including a 35-19 (.648) record on their home sand. After setting a program record for most wins in one season with 17 in 2018, the Matadors came within one victory of equaling the mark with a 16-12 record in 2019.
The Matadors have steadily improved since the induction of the sport in 2014. Playing 10 matches, all on the road in its inaugural season, CSUN finished 1-9 in 2014. The Matadors picked up their first-ever beach volleyball win on Mar. 27, 2014 when CSUN defeated Oregon (3-2) at USC's Merle Norman Stadium.
The Matadors then debuted their on-campus facility in 2015, playing 11 matches overall and four matches at home. CSUN's first-ever home match was Mar. 5, 2015 against No. 7 UCLA. CSUN won at home for the first time on Mar. 9 of the 2015 season when the Matadors defeated TCU, 4-1. CSUN ultimately upped its season win total to three culminating with a 3-8 overall season record to close the 2015 season.
The 2016 season saw the Matadors finish 8-14 before falling to Cal Poly in the third round of the Big West Tournament. CSUN then posted an overall record of 6-12 in 2017 before winning a program-record with 17 times in 2018 and posting 16 wins in 2019.
#UniteTheValley
