Matadors Top UTEP in Five Sets to Open Wildcat Classic in Tucson

Friday, September 16

Tucson, Ariz.

12:30 pm

California State University at Northridge

4-6,0-0Big West

UTEP

-46,00 CUSA

CSUN

UTEP

Photo by: Steve Fitzgerald

Matadors Top UTEP in Five Sets to Open Wildcat Classic in Tucson

9/16/2022 3:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

TUCSON, Ariz. – Behind double-doubles from Nicole Nevarez and Carisa Barron, the CSUN women's volleyball picked up its second five-set win of the season, topping the UTEP Miners to open the Wildcat Classic Friday afternoon at McKale Center.

Nevarez put down a team-high 14 kills (.109) to go with 14 digs and five blocks while Barron posted 23 assists, nine kills and a career-high 17 digs as CSUN (4-6) claimed a 25-21, 14-25, 28-26, 17-25, 15-7 win to win for the third time in its last four matches.

KEY STATISTICS
• The double-double by Nevarez is her second of the season and 12th of her career while Barron also picked up her second this season and sixth career double-double effort.
• The Matadors also received 13 kills (.175) and two digs from Taylor Orshoff and Magdalena Juric chipped in seven kills on 22 errorless swings to hit .318.
• Freshman libero Breanna Mitchell scooped up a season-high 27 digs to go with a pair of assists in the win. In addition to Barron's 23 assists, Emily Sparks added 16 assists and Kaia Kanan had five.
• UTEP had a 65-53 edge in kills while out-hitting the Matadors .172 to .138. CSUN put up a season-high 15.0 team blocks while serving three aces to the Miners' one.
• Sara Pustahija led all hitters in the match with 15 kills (.200) to lead UTEP (4-6).

SET 1
Neither team led by more than two points until the Matadors used a 4-1 run to snap a 12-12 tie. Leading 16-13, CSUN extended the lead to four at 18-14 following a Nevarez solo block. UTEP would answer with a 4-1 run out of timeout to close to within 19-18 before CSUN would close the set on a 6-3 run to win by four (25-21).

SET 2
The Miners claimed the first two points of the second set and would never trail. A pair of CSUN hitting errors opened up a 7-2 UTEP advantage before the lead swelled to as many as six (9-3). A 3-0 run by the Matadors trimmed the deficit to 10-7 before the Miners engineered a 7-2 run to lead by as many as eight at 17-9 but would fall 25-14 as UTEP evened the match at one set apiece.

SET 3
Set three would go to extra points after the Miners overcame an early five-point CSUN lead. The Matadors still led by three (14-11) when UTEP rallied behind 7-3 run to take an 18-17 lead. UTEP would forge a two-point lead at 21-19 forcing a CSUN timeout before the Matadors used a 3-1 run to knot the score at 22-22. CSUN extended the run to 5-1 behind a kill from Juric and an ace by Lauryn Anderson to take set point at 24-22. However three straight Miner points saved a pair of set points before a kill by Hunter tied the score for the final time at 26-26. Hunter would connect for another kill giving CSUN another set point at 27-26 and the Matadors cashed in when Hunter and Barron teamed up to stuff a UTEP attack.

SET 4
The Miners would use a 7-1 run early in the fourth set to open up a 13-6 cushion. UTEP would lead by as many as seven (17-10) before the Matadors battled back to within four at 18-14 following a Hunter-Nevarez block. The down 19-15, CSUN saw the Miners close the set on 6-2 run to claim the 25-17 win.

SET 5
With the score tied 2-2, the Matadors used a 3-0 run behind a solo block and kill by Taylor Hunter to lead 5-2. Another 3-0 run by the Matadors opened up a 9-4 CSUN lead following a hitting error by the Miners. Yet another 3-0 Matador run, capped by an Orshoff kill, have CSUN its largest lead at 12-5 and the Matadors would close out an eight-point victory when Juric stuff a UTEP attack on match point.

UP NEXT
The Matadors have a quick turnaround, taking on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in their second match of the Wildcat Classic Friday afternoon at 4 p.m.

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