Tuesday, March 18
Northridge, Calif.
10:00 a.m.
California State University at Northridge
3
vs
2
Florida International
Photo by: Steve Fitzgerald
Beach Volleyball Tops No. 19 FIU, Sweeps Colorado Mesa in Tri-Dual Action
3/18/2025 5:23:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - CSUN Beach Volleyball had a memorable Tuesday, knocking off its first ranked opponent in program history while also posting its longest winning streak in six years as the Matadors topped No. 19 FIU and Colorado Mesa at the CSUN Beach Volleyball Complex.Â
CSUN 3, #19 FIUÂ 2
The Matadors opened the day with a tight 3-2 win over the 19th-ranked Panthers in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. CSUN got off to a great start in the opening flight, taking both points in winning on the No. 2 and No. 4 courts. Hannah Heflin and Dylan Hall won the No. 4 pair, topping Aleksandra Chudzik and Heflin's sister, Hailey in three sets, 21-14, 19-21, 15-11. The match marked the first time the Heflin sisters have competed against each other. Tia Mendiola and Julia Bazylevych made it 2-0 CSUN with a 23-21, 21-17 victory over Maria Fernanda Vinatea Sanchez and Julia Panko at No. 2.
FIU would cut the lead to 2-1 when Sofie Vogel and Alla Gray swept Tasha Mae and Kinley Lindhardt, 21-11, 21-18 before Maleya Miles and Layla Cederlind clinched the Matadors' first-ever win over a top-20 team with a 21-17, 21-19 win over Kendra Brown and Zoe Cahill in the No. 5 pair. The Panthers then claimed the final pair as Kiki Drozd and Brianna Luoma held off Haley Coggins and Ainsley Patrick at No. 3 by the score of 21-11, 20-22, 15-9.
Â
CSUN 5, COLORADO MESAÂ 0
The Matadors then capped the afternoon with a 5-0 win against the Mavericks to run their win streak to five, its longest since winning seven straight in 2019. Hall and Heflin improved to 7-0 on the season with a straight-set (21-13, 21-16) win over Tayler Scherff and Jessica Passi in the No. 4 pair. Mendiola and Bazylevych won for the eighth time this season, defeating Lizzy Hood and Rley Daugherty at No. 2, 21-16, 26-24 making it 2-0 CSUN.
Mae and Lindhardt clinched the dual win with a 24-22, 21-13 decision over Gracyn Spresser and Ellie Ask on the No. 1 court before the Matadors closed out the sweep when Coggins and Patrick swept Barett Nolan and Ania Swartendruber, 21-18, 21-16 at No. 3 and Miles and Cederlind made it 5-0 CSUN with a three-set (18-21, 21-16, 15-6) win over Izzy Burns and Sofia Kolbe on the No. 4 court.
COACH ARI HOMAYUNÂ SAID
"Today was an awesome day for the program in a few ways. Obviously, getting our first win against a ranked opponent is massive for us. I'm more stoked for the confidence it has given the girls. I have always believed in them and the work we are putting in, but I know that sometimes it takes seeing the fruits of your labor to really feel like the hard work is paying off, so I'm stoked for them. And I'm so proud of them. Beating Colorado Mesa pretty dominantly after splitting with them last year is also another huge step in the right direction for us. I'm most proud today of the way they were able to implement instruction and how they were able to work through some of the nerves they were feeling. We've talked about being tougher, and they did just that today, they were tough. Two more very important games tomorrow, and looking forward to it."
UP NEXT
The Matadors will host a Wednesday tri-dual against The Master's University and Nebraska before heading to San Luis Obispo for this weekend's Big West Challenge at Cal Poly.
CSUN 3, #19 FIUÂ 2
#GoMatadors
CSUN 3, #19 FIUÂ 2
The Matadors opened the day with a tight 3-2 win over the 19th-ranked Panthers in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. CSUN got off to a great start in the opening flight, taking both points in winning on the No. 2 and No. 4 courts. Hannah Heflin and Dylan Hall won the No. 4 pair, topping Aleksandra Chudzik and Heflin's sister, Hailey in three sets, 21-14, 19-21, 15-11. The match marked the first time the Heflin sisters have competed against each other. Tia Mendiola and Julia Bazylevych made it 2-0 CSUN with a 23-21, 21-17 victory over Maria Fernanda Vinatea Sanchez and Julia Panko at No. 2.
FIU would cut the lead to 2-1 when Sofie Vogel and Alla Gray swept Tasha Mae and Kinley Lindhardt, 21-11, 21-18 before Maleya Miles and Layla Cederlind clinched the Matadors' first-ever win over a top-20 team with a 21-17, 21-19 win over Kendra Brown and Zoe Cahill in the No. 5 pair. The Panthers then claimed the final pair as Kiki Drozd and Brianna Luoma held off Haley Coggins and Ainsley Patrick at No. 3 by the score of 21-11, 20-22, 15-9.
Â
CSUN 5, COLORADO MESAÂ 0
The Matadors then capped the afternoon with a 5-0 win against the Mavericks to run their win streak to five, its longest since winning seven straight in 2019. Hall and Heflin improved to 7-0 on the season with a straight-set (21-13, 21-16) win over Tayler Scherff and Jessica Passi in the No. 4 pair. Mendiola and Bazylevych won for the eighth time this season, defeating Lizzy Hood and Rley Daugherty at No. 2, 21-16, 26-24 making it 2-0 CSUN.
Mae and Lindhardt clinched the dual win with a 24-22, 21-13 decision over Gracyn Spresser and Ellie Ask on the No. 1 court before the Matadors closed out the sweep when Coggins and Patrick swept Barett Nolan and Ania Swartendruber, 21-18, 21-16 at No. 3 and Miles and Cederlind made it 5-0 CSUN with a three-set (18-21, 21-16, 15-6) win over Izzy Burns and Sofia Kolbe on the No. 4 court.
COACH ARI HOMAYUNÂ SAID
"Today was an awesome day for the program in a few ways. Obviously, getting our first win against a ranked opponent is massive for us. I'm more stoked for the confidence it has given the girls. I have always believed in them and the work we are putting in, but I know that sometimes it takes seeing the fruits of your labor to really feel like the hard work is paying off, so I'm stoked for them. And I'm so proud of them. Beating Colorado Mesa pretty dominantly after splitting with them last year is also another huge step in the right direction for us. I'm most proud today of the way they were able to implement instruction and how they were able to work through some of the nerves they were feeling. We've talked about being tougher, and they did just that today, they were tough. Two more very important games tomorrow, and looking forward to it."
UP NEXT
The Matadors will host a Wednesday tri-dual against The Master's University and Nebraska before heading to San Luis Obispo for this weekend's Big West Challenge at Cal Poly.
CSUN 3, #19 FIUÂ 2
#1. Vogel/Gray (FIU) def. Mae/Lindhardt (CSUN), 21-11, 21-18
#2. Mendiola/Bazylevych (CSUN) def. Vinatea Sanchez/Panko (FIU), 23-21, 21-17
#3. Drozd/Luoma (FIU) def. Coggins/Patrick (CSUN), 21-11, 20-22, 15-9
#4. Hall/Heflin (CSUN) def. Chudzik/Heflin (FIU), 21-14, 19-21, 15-11
#5. Miles/Cederlind (CSUN) def. Brown/Cahill (FIU), 21-17, 21-19
#6. Castellanos/Franklin (FIU) def. Jarosz/Williams (CSUN), 21-17, 21-10
#1. Mae/Lindhardt (CSUN) def. Wogenstahl/Marita (MSU), 21-10, 21-9
#2. Coggins/Patrick (CSUN) def. Hargan/Wyman (MSU), 21-15, 21-15
#3. Mendiola/Bazylevych (CSUN) def. Heath/Peighton (MSU), 21-18, 22-24, 16-14
#4. Miles/Cederlind (CSUN) def. Bommer/Hefner (MSU), 21-14, 21-17
#5. Hall/Heflin (CSUN) def. Nott/Fitzgerald (MSU), 21-13, 22-20
#6. Blanco/Hartman (CMU) def. Gillinger/Gunner (CSUN), 15-21, 21-18, 15-9Â
#GoMatadors
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