CSUN Splits Final Regular Season Tri-Dual at CSU Bakersfield

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The CSUN beach volleyball team (16-14) split its final regular season tri-dual Friday as the Matadors dropped a tough 4-1 decision to host Cal State Bakersfield before topping Westcliff 4-1 at CSUB's Barnes Beach Volleyball Complex.

CSU BAKERSFIELD 4, CSUN 1
Friday's tri-dual opened as Matadors and Roadrunners met for the third time this season and 26th time overall. Bakersfield would even the all-time series at 13-13 by taking a 4-1 decision as two of the matches went to three sets while the other three were decided in extra points.

The Matadors No. 1 pair of Lauren Eknoian and Tasha Mae took the opening set before dropping the final two sets to Sophia Brandstetter and Hana Makonova. CSUN won set one 21-13 before falling 24-22 in set two and 15-9 in the decisive third set. In the No, 3 pair, Seyvion Waggoner and Mikaela Maughan lost set one (21-12) before battling back to win set two 21-19. The final set also went to the 'Runners pair of Isabella Almeida and Hayley McCluskey, 15-12.

Emily Sparks and Mac McCarthy claimed CSUN's lone point in the dual, winning the No. 2 pair in straight sets over Sophia Hladyniuk and Emma Erteltova, 21-17, 22-20. Looking to set a new program record for season wins as a pair, Abbey Sweeting and Gabriela Griego came out on the short end of a two-set marathon (21-19, 28-26) to Pearl Moore and Megan Gilbert. After falling 21-16 in the opening set of the No. 4 pair, Victoria Rogers and Layla Cederlind extended Alanna Shields and Emma Bubelis to extra points before falling 28-26 in the second set. Abigail Alvarez and Kinley Lindhardt also won for the Matadors in the No. 6 exhibition match, sweeping Paige Calvin and Alyson Cooper 21-16, 21-11.

CSUN 4, WESTCLIFF 1
In the regular season finale, the Matadors earned a 4-1 win over Westcliff to finish the regular season with 16 wins, one off the program record. Along the way, Sweeting and Griego defeated Brooke Scheidle and Serena Comer, 21-15, 21-17 to win for the 19th time as a pair this season. The win for the No. 5 pair was their 19th this season, eclipsing the previous record of 18 held by three different CSUN pairs. Both Griego and Sweeting now have 20 individual wins this season, Rogers holds the program record with 21 individual wins in 2022.

The Matadors would also pick up wins in the No. 2 pair as Sparks and McCarthy won in three sets over Gianna Guinasso and Mia Scheepens, 17-21, 21-11, 15-12. Rogers and Cederlind then also won in three over Luise Palenczat and Leanna Zamora in the No. 4 pair, 21-13, 19-21, 15-9. Waggoner and Maughan took the No. 3 pair in straight sets, 21-18, 21-4 over Sabrina Galassi and Lina Elila before Eknoian and Mae suffered CSUN's only loss in the dual as the Warriors' Marine Kinna and Fiona Moesching won in straight sets, 21-17, 21-17. CSUN also picked up a win in the No. 6 pair as Alvarez and Lindhardt won their sixth straight match, sweeping Chloe Johnson and Leonor Chambel, 21-13, 21-11.

COACH ARI HOMAYUN SAID
"The girls battled today and unfortunately came up just a little bit short against Bakersfield. We had a super quick turnaround and the girls did a really good job of moving on. They battled and executed well against Westcliff and we had a much better performance against them this time around. Turning the final page and focusing on Hawaii. We have a few more days of practice to sharpen up and give it our best performance."

UP NEXT
The Matadors will next prepare for the 2023 Big West Beach Volleyball Championships which get underway next Friday, Apr. 21 at Queens Beach in Honolulu, O'ahu.

CSU BAKERSFIELD 4, CSUN 1
#1 - Brandstetter/Makonova (CSUB) def. Eknoian/Mae (CSUN) – 13-21, 24-22, 15-9
#2 - Sparks/McCarthy (CSUN) def. Hladyniuk/Erteltova (CSUB) – 21-17, 22-20
#3 - Almeida/McCluskey (CSUB) def. Waggoner/Maughan (CSUN), 21-12, 19-21, 15-12
#4 - Shields/Bubelis (CSUB) def. Rogers/Cederlind (CSUN) – 21-16, 29-27
#5 - Moore/Gilbert (CSUB) def. Sweeting/Griego (CSUN) – 21-19, 28-26
Exh. - Alvarez/Lindhardt (CSUN) def. Calvin/Cooper (CSUB) – 21-16, 21-11

CSUN 4, WESTCLIFF 1
#1 - Kinna/Moesching (WU) def. Eknoian/Mae (CSUN) – 21-17, 21-17
#2 - Sparks/McCarthy (CSUN) def. Guinasso/Scheepens (WU) – 17-21, 21-11, 15-12
#3 - Waggoner/Maughan (CSUN) def. Galassi/Elila (WU) – 21-18, 21-4
#4 - Rogers/Cederlind (CSUN)def. Palenczat/Zamora (WU) – 21-13, 19-21, 15-9
#5 - Sweeting/Griego (CSUN) def. Scheidle/Comer (WU) – 21-15, 21-17
Exh. - Alvarez/Lindhardt (CSUN) def. Johnson/Chambel (WU) - 21-13, 21-11

#GoMatadors

CSUN Splits Final Regular Season Tri-Dual at CSU Bakersfield

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Players Mentioned

Abigail Alvarez

Layla Cederlind

Lauren Eknoian

Gabriela Griego

Kinley Lindhardt

Tasha Mae

Mikaela Maughan

Mac McCarthy

Victoria Rogers

Emily Sparks

Abbey Sweeting

Seyvion Waggoner