California State University at Northridge
4-16,2-7Big West
Cal Poly
12-9,6-3Big West
CSUN Falls at Home to Cal Poly in Straight Sets
10/19/2023 8:02:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – Junior Carisa Barron posted her team-leading seventh double-double of the season but the CSUN women's volleyball dropped a straight-set decision to visiting Cal Poly in a Big West match Thursday evening at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
CSUN (4-16, 2-7 Big West) had trouble getting on track offensively, hitting .082 as a team. Barron was a bright spot for the Matadors, posting 15 assists, 12 digs, seven kills, and one ace. Perri Starkey led CSUN with eight kills (.120) while also recording 13 digs.
The Mustangs (12-9, 6-3 Big West) hit .264 as a team while out-blocking the Matadors 8-5. CSUN had a slight 39-37 edge in team digs while each team served seven aces. Paige Sentes had a team-high three aces to increase her team lead to 32 on the season.
SET 1: CP 25, CSUN 22
The Matadors took advantage of some early Cal Poly hitting errors to open up a 4-1 lead. The Mustangs then took advantage of some CSUN miscues, using a 4-0 run to take a 5-4 lead. Neither team would lead by more than two points until a Taylor Hunter hitting error gave Cal Poly a 15-12 lead at the media timeout. Kills by Hunter and a pair from Leah Miller capped a 5-2 CSUN run the tied the score at 17-17 but the visitors would go on a 5-0 run to salt away a 25-22 win.
SET 2: CP 25, CSUN 22
The Mustangs bolted out to an 8-1 lead in the second set and would never trail. After trailing by as many as 12 (14-2), the Matadors staged a late rally to cut the Mustang lead down to two. Down 22-10, the Matadors outscored Cal Poly 12-2 over the next 14 points to close to within 24-22 following a Hunter kill. But a Mustang kill on the ensuing point sent Cal Poly to the 25-22 win.
Trailed 22-9 in the second set.
— CSUN Women's Volleyball (@CSUNWVB) October 20, 2023
It's now 24-22 ??#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/meOc5qD1kO
SET 3: CP 25, CSUN 17
After hitting .050 over the first two sets, CSUN hit .167 in the final set but could not hold on to an early lead. After a Cal Poly hitting error gave the Matadors a 7-6 lead, the Mustangs put together an 11-4 run to open up a 17-11 lead. CSUN would again battle back late as a Starkey ace cut the lead to three at 20-17. But the Matadors would not score again as Cal Poly closed the win on a 5-0 run.
Perri Starkey outmaneuvers the defense.
— CSUN Women's Volleyball (@CSUNWVB) October 20, 2023
We're locked at 8-8 in the third set.#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/KDgVDMLk2f
NOTES
- Kaia Kanan added 14 assists to combine with Barron for 29 assists in the match.
- Middles Tatiana Turgeon and Iye Okolo combined for nine kills on 17 errorless attacks to hit .529.
- With the win, Cal Poly improved to 40-29 in the all-time series with CSUN.
ACCORDING TO COACH JOHN PRICE
"We struggled with the basics tonight. I thought we served pretty well but we really struggled in passing and attacking. You're going to have nights when you're off but we've got to find a way to play better on those nights and we didn't do that tonight."
UP NEXT
CSUN travels to UC Santa Barbara on Saturday for a 7 p.m. first serve before returning home next week to host Cal State Bakersfield (Oct. 26) and Hawai'i (Oct. 27).
#GoMatadors
