California State University at Northridge
8-6,1-2Big West
Cal State Bakersfield
3-12,0-3Big West
CSUN Outlasts Cal State Bakersfield for First Big West Victory
10/2/2025 9:18:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Senior Amaris Smith led CSUN with 17 kills as the Matadors picked up their first Big West win of the season Thursday night, defeating CSU Bakersfield in four sets, 25-19, 22-25, 25-23, 25-23, at the Icardo Center.
Smith led the Matadors (8-6, 1-2 Big West) with 17 kills, one of four CSUN hitter in double figures. She hit .278 on 36 swings, while adding two blocks for 17.0 points. Redshirt freshman Kyleigh Moore reached double digits for the first time with 14 kills while narrowly missing her first collegiate double-double by adding nine digs. Senior Leah Miller and sophomore Hayley Ogden also reached double figures with 10 kills apiece, with Ogden also adding a team-high six blocks.
Setter Katie Kolar paced CSUN's attack with 47 assists and 11 digs, her first double since Sept. 4, helping the Matadors hit .229 as a team. CSUN also totaled 10 blocks, with Iye Okolo providing a spark by hitting .545 with six kills on 11 errorless swings.
The Matadors out-hit the hosts .270 to .029 to take the opening set, 25-19. The Roadrunners bounced back to take the second set, 25-22, before CSUN claimed two straight nail-biters, 25-23, 25-23, to seal the win and edge the Roadrunners (3-12, 0-3).
Nicole Zake had a match-high 18 kills to lead Cal State Bakersfield, while Julia Udell led all players with 21 digs.
NOTES
- CSUN improves to 35-12 all-time against Cal State Bakersfield, and 14-6 against the Roadrunners in Bakersfield.
- The Matadors improved to 6-2 in four-set matches this season.
HEAD COACH AQUILES MONTOYA SAID
"Tough win. Road ones are hard to come by, and even though it wasn't the prettiest at times, our team had each other's backs, and that's all you can ask for. We are subbing and utilizing a lot of our players right now, and they're showing that the moment isn't too big for them. It'll be nice to play at home on Saturday, but as always, Hawai'i is no easy task, so we'll need all the support that we can get to try and get our second Big West win."
UP NEXT
CSUN returns home for the first time in nearly a month to host Hawai'i inside Premier America Credit Union Arena on Saturday at 6 p.m. The match will stream live on ESPN+
#GoMatadors
