California State University at Northridge
5-19,3-10Big West
Long Beach State
17-6,11-2Big West
CSUN Falls in Straight Sets at Long Beach State
11/3/2023 8:54:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Perri Starkey had a team-high nine kills but the CSUN women's volleyball team struggled offensively as Long Beach State picked up a home sweep in a Big West match Friday night at the Walter Pyramid.
Looking to claim a season series from the Beach for the first time since 2013, the Matadors came out on the short end of a 25-22, 25-16, 25-18 score.
Starkey led CSUN (5-19, 3-10 Big West) with nine kills (.032) along with three digs, two blocks, and one ace. Taylor Hunter added five kills on a team-high .176 hitting clip while also posting a pair of blocks while Iye Okolo and Carisa Barron each had four kills. Okolo led CSUN with three blocks while Barron added 10 assists and seven digs.
The Matadors had a tough time getting their offense going for the second straight match. After hitting .111 against Hawai'i at home last Friday, CSUN hit .070 against the Beach. Long Beach connected at a .311 hitting clip in avenging a 3-2 loss in Northridge on Oct. 7.
In addition to out-hitting the Matadors, Long Beach had a 6-3 advantage in team aces, a 40-34 edge in team digs, and a slight 7-6 edge in blocks.
SET 1: LBSU 25, CSUN 22
With the score tied at 8-8 in the opening set, CSUN used a kill and an ace from Starkey followed by a Barron kill to open up an 11-8 cushion. Consecutive Beach hitting errors would extend the Matador lead to as many as five at 14-9. After a Barron kill maintained a four-point lead at 15-11, the hosts rallied to tie the score at 15-15 before a Beach service error ended the run. Three straight points would give Long Beach the lead for good as the Beach opened up an 18-16 lead. Down 24-20, the Matadors saved a pair of set points before the Beach would close out a 25-22 win.
SET 2: LBSU 25, CSUN 16
CSUN raced out to a 3-0 lead in the second set and would lead 8-2 after Starkey and Tatiana Turgeon stuffed a Beach attack. Long Beach would outscore the Matadors 9-2 over the next 11 points to take an 11-10 lead following a Livi Narancich kill. A Hunter kill kept CSUN within one at 13-12 when the Beach put together a 6-2 run to open up a 19-14 advantage. The Matadors rallied back to within four (20-16) following a Kaia Kanan kill but CSUN would get no closer down the stretch.
S2 l Miller scores off the Long Beach block and #CSUN is within 2 at 15-13#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/RS2o80CG52
— CSUN Women's Volleyball (@CSUNWVB) November 4, 2023
SET 3: LBSU 25, CSUN 18
After hitting .000 in set two, the Matadors improved slightly in the final set hitting .038. After CSUN took a 10-9 lead, the Beach scored five unanswered to lead 14-10. After another Starkey kill pulled the Matadors within three at 16-13, Long Beach pulled away behind a 3-0 run. A beach service error would keep CSUN within range at 20-17 but the Beach claimed five of the final six points in a 25-18 win.
S3 l Starkey with her 5th kill of the match and #CSUN leads the Beach 6-5 early in the 3rd set#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/PJ1VNrRJRW
— CSUN Women's Volleyball (@CSUNWVB) November 4, 2023
MATCH NOTES
- Kanan led CSUN with 13 assists to go with a pair of digs and one ace.
- Kelsey Knudsen had 11 digs to lead all players in the match.
- The Matadors and Beach split the season series while Long Beach State improves to 38-13 all-time against CSUN.
UP NEXT
CSUN continues its four-match road trip on Saturday as the Matadors continue down the coast to La Jolla to meet UC San Diego at 7 p.m. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
#GoMatadors
