California State University at Northridge
5-18,3-9Big West
Hawai'i
16-6,9-2Big West
Matadors Fall to Hawai'i in Straight Sets
10/27/2023 9:42:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – The CSUN women's volleyball team was swept in the season series by Hawai'i as the Rainbow Wahine defeated the Matadors 25-17, 25-19, 25-12 in a Big West match Friday night at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
CSUN (5-18, 3-9 Big West) was led by Perri Starkey and Carisa Barron who each had seven kills. Barron hit .316 on 19 swings while also adding 10 assists and eight digs. Kaia Kanan posted 12 assists, a team-high two aces and two digs in the loss.
The Matadors had a tough time getting their offense on track against the Rainbow Wahine for the second time this season. CSUN hit .111 as a team while Hawai'i connected at a .367 clip. In addition to their hitting advantage, the Rainbow Wahine also had a 42-30 edge in digs, a 6-4 edge in blocks and a 6-5 edge in aces.
SET 1: HAWAI'I 25, CSUN 17
The opening set was close early on as the teams played to five ties, the last coming at 15-15. A kill by Kennedi Evans would fuel a 6-0 Hawai'i run that opened up a 21-15 advantage for the visitors. A Leah Miller kill ended the run but CSUN would score just one more point the rest of the set as the Rainbow Wahine claimed four of the final five points in a 25-17 win.
SET 2: HAWAI'I 25, CSUN 19
After a Hawai'i hitting error and a Barron ace pulled CSUN even at 7-7 in set two, another Evans kill sent the Bows on a 4-0 run that boosted the lead to 11-7. Kanan's ace pulled the Matadors as close as three at 14-11 but a 4-1 Hawai'i run pushed the lead back to six at 18-12. A Taylor Hunter kill followed by a Paige Sentes ace cut the lead to four (20-16) but CSUN was outscored 5-3 down the stretch in a 25-19 setback.
SET 3: HAWAI'I 25, CSUN 12
The final frame as all Hawai'i as the visitors hit .522 and jumped out to a 7-2 lead. CSUN answered with a 4-3 run, capped by a Miller/Nieko Thomas block, pulled the Matadors within 10-6 but the Rainbow Wahine answered with a 7-1 run to open an insurmountable 17-7 lead.
MATCH NOTES
- After putting down a season-high 21 kills against Cal State Bakersfield on Friday, Miller was limited to five kills on .053 hitting against Hawai'i.
- With her one ace, Sentes now has a team-high 34 on the season.
- The Rainbow Wahine extended their current win streak over CSUN to 17 straight while improving to 30-2 in the all-time series.
UP NEXT
CSUN heads out on the road for its next four matches, beginning next Friday (Nov. 3) at Long Beach State. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
#GoMatadors
