California State University at Northridge
Nevada
CSUN Meets Nevada to Close Non-Conference Road Schedule
9/11/2024 1:39:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
CSUNÂ THIS WEEK:
MATCH #7
Nevada Wolf Pack (4-2) vs. CSUN Matadors (2-4)
Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 - 11:00 a.m. PDT
Van Dyne Gym - Riverside, Calif.
Live Stats
In-game X updates:Â @CSUNWVB
CSUN WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL MEDIA NOTES
FORÂ STARTERS
The CSUN women's volleyball team (2-4, 0-0 Big West) concludes the 2024 non-conference road schedule this week as the Matadors travel to Riverside to take on Nevada (4-2) as part of the CBU/UCR Challenge. The Matadors, who will play just a single match this week, are coming off their second straight 1-2 tournament weekend, after defeating San Francisco in five sets at the Sacramento State Invitational.
FOLLOW YOUR MATADORS
Friday's CSUN-Nevada match in Riverside will only have live stats (link at GoMatadors.com).Â
Fans can follow CSUN Matador women's volleyball online at the official home of CSUN athletics, www.GoMatadors.com. All home matches will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Darren Preston handling the play-by-play and CSUN men's volleyball assistant coach Ryan Mason providing commentary for select matches. Fans are also encouraged to check the CSUN Athletics Department's official X feed (@GoMatadors) and the volleyball-specific feed (@CSUNWVB) for news and notes throughout the week as well as updates of matches in progress.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Nevada (4-2) is coming off its second consecutive 2-1 weekend, taking two of three at the Roadrunner Classic in Bakersfield last weekend. The Wolf Pack defeated both Seattle and Oregon State in five sets before falling to host Cal State Bakersfield (3-1). Nevada will meet the Matadors on Friday morning before taking on California Baptist Friday evening, and UC Riverside on Saturday. Libero Kinsley Singleton was named Mountain West Freshman of the Week after averaging 4.14 digs per set in three matches last weekend.
Series: Friday's match is the ninth meeting all-time between CSUN and Nevada with the Wolf Pack holding a 5-3 lead in the series. The two schools have met three times since 2019 with Nevada claiming wins in all three matches. The Wolf Pack won in straight sets in 2022 at Gonzaga's tournament, and won in four sets in both 2021 at home and in 2019 at the Portland State tournament.
SENTES LEADS BIG WEST IN DIGS PER SET
Sophomore libero Paige Sentes had a big defensive weekend in Sacramento, leading the Matadors with 67 digs while averaging 5.58 digs per set. With 122 digs this season and an average of 4.69 digs per set, Sentes took over as the Big West leader this week. Julia Ng of UC Davis ranks second this week at 4.58 dps. Sentes scooped up a career-high 31 digs in the Matadors' five-set win over San Francisco last Friday which surpassed her previous season and career-high of 23 she set against Seattle in the season opener on Aug. 30. As a team, CSUN also moved to the top of the conference in digs per set at 15.65 per set.
SEASON HIGHS IN WIN OVER SAN FRANCISCOÂ
In addition to Sentes' career night, several CSUN players had impressive performances in the win over the Dons. Setter Katie Kolar posted 61 assists which ties for seventh-most all-time in program history. Kolar also added 15 digs, along with a season-high five aces, for her fourth double-double. Offensively, Amaris Smith led the Matadors with 23 kills (.211) on 71 swings which tied for fourth-most for a single match in CSUN history. Junior opposite Leah Miller connected for a season-high 18 kills on 33 errorless swings to hit a career-best .545. Hailey Brockway was the third CSUN hitter in double figures, putting down 17 kills (.286) to go with 14 digs for her third double-double of the season.
HOME OPENER ON THE HORIZONÂ
CSUN's match against California Baptist next Tuesday (Sept. 17) not only marks the 2024 home opener for the Matadors but also the beginning of a season-long, six-match homestand. In addition to the CBU match, CSUN will also host Washington State (Sept. 19), Portland for two matches (Sept. 20-21), Cal Poly (Sept. 27), and UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 29) on the homestand. The six-match homestand is the longest for CSUN women's volleyball in nearly 25 years. The last time the Matadors played five or more in a row on their home court was in 2000 when CSUN hosted Eastern Washington, Portland State, UC Riverside, Weber State, and Sacramento State from Nov. 2-Nov. 11.
MATADOR QUICK SETS
In addition to the individual season-highs in the win over San Francisco, the Matadors set team season-highs with 72 kills, .298 hitting, 68 assists, 10 aces, and 80 digs against the Dons ... the Sacramento State Invitational saw the CSUN debut for freshman Grace Stone who was the sixth Matador to make her first appearance in 2024. Stone, from nearby Carmichael, Calif., posted three aces and one assist coming off the bench in all three matches .. Kolar and Brockway continue to lead the Matadors with four double-doubles apiece this season. Kolar had her three-match double-double streak snapped against Sacramento State, before notching her fourth against San Francisco. Brockway had double-doubles in the opening two matches of the season and has doubled up in each of the last two matches. Smith is the third CSUN player to post a double-double this season with two (Idaho State, San Francisco) ... The Matadors are 2-0 this season when hitting .280 or better. CSUN hit .284 in the five-set win over San Diego State and a season-high .298 in the five-set win over San Francisco.
MONTOYA OPENS HIS FIRST SEASON AS CSUN HEAD COACHÂ
Aquiles Montoya was named the ninth head coach of the CSUN women's volleyball program on Apr. 10, 2024. Montoya comes to CSUN after spending the past four seasons as associate head coach and director of recruiting at Portland State. He was instrumental in three straight Vikings' student-athletes earning the Big Sky Conference's Top Newcomer award. On the court, Portland State made consecutive postseason appearances in 2021 and 2022, qualifying for the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). The Vikings won their first-round match in 2021, giving Portland State its first win at a national postseason tournament in Division I program history. The Vikings rise in the Big Sky Conference coincided with Montoya's tenure as an assistant and associate head coach under Portland State head coach Michael Seeman. The Vikings posted winning seasons, both overall and in conference play, in each of Montoya's last three seasons while reaching the Big Sky championship match in 2022, their first appearance since 2013. Prior to Portland State, Montoya spent the previous three seasons as the lead assistant of the Pacific Boxers' varsity team. He helped the Boxers set program records for wins in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018. The Boxers went 17-7 overall and 10-6 in the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference (NWC) in 2017, then topped that the following year while going 18-8 overall and 11-5 in NWC play.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following this week's single match against Nevada as part of the CBU/UCR Challenge in Riverside, the Matadors will return to Northridge to open up a season-long six-match homestand that includes the 2024 home opener against CBU on Sept. 17. The Matadors will also host Washington State (Sept. 19), Portland (Sept. 20-21), Cal Poly (Sept. 27), and UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 29) on the homestand.
#GoMatadors
