California State University at Northridge
3-6,0-0Big West
Washington State
5-3,0-0WCC
Washington State Holds Off CSUN in Five-Set Battle
9/19/2024 9:06:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – The CSUN women's volleyball team dropped the first two sets before staging a furious comeback to win the next two only to come up short in the fifth set as Washington State claimed a 3-2 non-conference win Thursday night at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
In a match that was tight throughout, the Cougars (5-3) won by set scores of 28-26, 17-25, 23-25, 26-28, 15-13. The Matadors suffer their first home loss of the season, slipping to 3-6 overall.
Amaris Smith led CSUN with 20 kills on 63 swings to hit .163 along with eight digs and a pair of assists. Leah Miller also reached double figures in kills while posting her second double-double of the season with 13 kills and 13 digs. Katie Kolar posted 46 assists, nine digs, and two aces while libero Paige Sentes also had a pair of aces to go with a match-high 22 digs.
Neither team hit at a high percentage as the visiting Cougars hit .188 to CSUN's .158. Washington State also posted a 12-8 edge in blocks, an 80-74 edge in digs, and a 7-3 edge in aces.
S1 l WSU 28, CSUN 26
WSU put away a CSUN overpass to take a 6-4 lead before the Matadors scored four straight, highlighted by a pair of Miller kills, to force a Cougar timeout at 8-6. Neither team would lead by more than two until a Washington State kill forced a CSUN timeout at 16-13. The visitors would then lead by as many as six at 24-18 when the Matadors rallied behind a 7-0 run to take set point at 25-24 following a Sentes ace. The Cougars saved one set point before a Tatiana Turgeon kill gave CSUN a second chance at the set (26-25). But the visitors would answer by scoring the final three points to take a 28-26 win.
S2 l WSU 25, CSUN 17
After the Matadors held a pair of early one-point leads, a 4-0 run by the Cougars opened up a 12-8 advantage. The visitors, who posted a .333-.103 edge in hitting, would extend the lead to as many as six (20-14). The Matadors would only get within five the rest of the set as WSU opened up a two-set lead.
S3 l CSUN 25, WSU 23
The Cougars would use a 6-1 scoring run early in set three to open up a 10-5 advantage. Down 19-16, CSUN scored three straight to force a Cougar timeout. After a Washington State kill kept the visitors in front, a service error and a hitting error put the Matadors in front to stay at 21-20. Kills by Miller and Julia Bazylevych gave CSUN a 23-21 lead and the Matadors would go on to win set three by two at 25-23.
S4 l CSUN 28, WSU 26
The fourth set was the tightest of the night, as neither team led by more than three points. The Matadors led by as many as two before a Kolar-Turgeon block gave CSUN its largest lead at 19-16. After the Cougars battled back to tie the score at 22-22, the Matadors were forced to fight off one match point at 24-23 before closing the set on a 4-2 run, capped by a Smith kill and a Cougar hitting error that sent the match to a decisive fifth set.
S5 l WSU 15, CSUN 13
After a WSU hitting error opened up a 5-3 Matador lead, the visitors went on a 4-0 run to take their first lead at 7-5. The lead remained two at 10-8 when a Cougar service error and a Smith kill tied the score once more. A co-block from Miller and Turgeon gave the Matadors a 12=11 lead and CSUN would maintain a one-point edge (13-12) following a Miller block. But a CSUN service error, a kill from Katy Ryan, and a Matador hitting error on match point would seal the set for WSU, 15-13.
NOTES
- CSUN slips to 2-2 in five-set matches this season.
- With the win, the Cougars remain unbeaten against the Matadors in four matches all-time.
UP NEXT
CSUN continues its six-match homestand Friday at 6 p.m. as the Matadors host the Portland Pilots in the first of a two-match set. The final match between the two teams is scheduled for Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
#GoMatadors
