Saturday, March 22
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
10:15 a.m.
California State University at Northridge
2
vs
3
UC Davis
Photo by: Steve Fitzgerald
Beach Volleyball Tops Bakersfield to Earn Second Split at Big West Challenge
3/22/2025 9:36:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - The CSUN Beach Volleyball team dropped a tough 3-2 decision to UC Davis to open day two of the 2025 Big West Challenge before bouncing back to knock off Cal State Bakersfield for the second time this season on Saturday at the Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex. With the Saturday split, the Matadors' season record stands at 12-10.
UC DAVIS 3, CSUN 2
The Matadors opened the day looking to snap a seven-match skid to Aggies but came up short despite four of the five pairs going three sets. Tia Mendiola and Julia Bazylevych won in the only straight-set decision, topping Kendal Steller and Resse Fraser, 21-16, 21-8 on the No. 2 court. The second pair to go final came on the No. 5 court when Syle Smolinski and Mia Olen defeated Maleya Miles and Layla Cederlind in three sets, 13-21, 21-16, 15-13. Haley Coggins and Ainsley Patrick put the Matadors up 2-1 with a 21-15, 15-21, 15-7 victory over Lindsay Heller and Kimi Waller at No. 3 before the Aggies claimed the final two pairs, both in three sets. Tabitha Mitchell and Kylie Miller defeated Tasha Mae and Kinley Lindhardt, 22-20, 19-21, 15-7 on the No. 1 court before Alexandra Leal and Kate O'Steen sealed the 3-2 win with a 26-24, 9-21, 15-12 win on the No. 4 court over Dylan Hall and Hannah Heflin.
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CSUN 3, CAL STATE BAKERSFIELDÂ 2
Miles and Cederlind got CSUN's second dual match off to a good start, earning a 21-10, 21-13 win over Olivia Ostler and Vianna Garcia at No. 5. The Runners tied things up with a straight-set (21-11, 22-20) victory in the No. 2 pair as Ella Erteltova and Vivi Kaelin topped Mendiola and Bazylevych. Mae and Lindhardt put the Matadors back up 2-1 when the held off Paola Caten and Sarah Martin, 21-13, 23-21 on the No. 1 court. Hall and Heflin then clinched the dual with a hard-fought 21-14, 17-21, 15-10 over Bailey Combs and Olivia Silacci-Jensen in the No. 4 pair. The final pair went to Bakersfield as Ella Ensign and Katey Milne defeated Coggins and Patrick in three sets (21-16, 17-21, 15-10) to make the final dual score 3-2.
COACH ARI HOMAYUNÂ SAID
"A nail-biter finish to our first match against UC Davis where we unfortunately fell short. We had our opportunities in the match, and we actually started really well. It came down to unforced errors, and Davis made better decisions in the home stretch. Luckily, we were able to bounce back and get a win against Bakersfield. We play CSUB a ton this season, and it's only going to get harder to continue to beat them, but the girls are showing that they are incredibly motivated to do so. Two more big matches tomorrow."
UP NEXT
The Matadors will play their final two matches of the Big West Challenge on Sunday, taking on No. 17 Hawai'i at 10:15 a.m. before closing the event against No. 8 Cal Poly at 2 p.m.
UC DAVIS 3, CSUN 2
#GoMatadors
UC DAVIS 3, CSUN 2
The Matadors opened the day looking to snap a seven-match skid to Aggies but came up short despite four of the five pairs going three sets. Tia Mendiola and Julia Bazylevych won in the only straight-set decision, topping Kendal Steller and Resse Fraser, 21-16, 21-8 on the No. 2 court. The second pair to go final came on the No. 5 court when Syle Smolinski and Mia Olen defeated Maleya Miles and Layla Cederlind in three sets, 13-21, 21-16, 15-13. Haley Coggins and Ainsley Patrick put the Matadors up 2-1 with a 21-15, 15-21, 15-7 victory over Lindsay Heller and Kimi Waller at No. 3 before the Aggies claimed the final two pairs, both in three sets. Tabitha Mitchell and Kylie Miller defeated Tasha Mae and Kinley Lindhardt, 22-20, 19-21, 15-7 on the No. 1 court before Alexandra Leal and Kate O'Steen sealed the 3-2 win with a 26-24, 9-21, 15-12 win on the No. 4 court over Dylan Hall and Hannah Heflin.
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CSUN 3, CAL STATE BAKERSFIELDÂ 2
Miles and Cederlind got CSUN's second dual match off to a good start, earning a 21-10, 21-13 win over Olivia Ostler and Vianna Garcia at No. 5. The Runners tied things up with a straight-set (21-11, 22-20) victory in the No. 2 pair as Ella Erteltova and Vivi Kaelin topped Mendiola and Bazylevych. Mae and Lindhardt put the Matadors back up 2-1 when the held off Paola Caten and Sarah Martin, 21-13, 23-21 on the No. 1 court. Hall and Heflin then clinched the dual with a hard-fought 21-14, 17-21, 15-10 over Bailey Combs and Olivia Silacci-Jensen in the No. 4 pair. The final pair went to Bakersfield as Ella Ensign and Katey Milne defeated Coggins and Patrick in three sets (21-16, 17-21, 15-10) to make the final dual score 3-2.
COACH ARI HOMAYUNÂ SAID
"A nail-biter finish to our first match against UC Davis where we unfortunately fell short. We had our opportunities in the match, and we actually started really well. It came down to unforced errors, and Davis made better decisions in the home stretch. Luckily, we were able to bounce back and get a win against Bakersfield. We play CSUB a ton this season, and it's only going to get harder to continue to beat them, but the girls are showing that they are incredibly motivated to do so. Two more big matches tomorrow."
UP NEXT
The Matadors will play their final two matches of the Big West Challenge on Sunday, taking on No. 17 Hawai'i at 10:15 a.m. before closing the event against No. 8 Cal Poly at 2 p.m.
UC DAVIS 3, CSUN 2
#1. Mitchell/Miller (UCD) def. Mae/Lindhardt (CSUN), 22-20, 19-21, 15-7
#2. Mendiola/Bazylevych (CSUN) def. Steller/Fraser (UCD), 21-16, 21-8
#3. Coggins/Patrick (CSUN) def. Heller/Waller (UCD), 21-15, 15-21, 15-7
#4. Leal/O'Steen (UCD) def. Hall/Heflin (CSUN), 26-24, 9-21, 15-12
#5. Smolinski/Olen(UCD) def. Miles/Cederlind (CSUN), 13-21, 21-16, 15-13
#1. Mae/Lindhardt (CSUN) def. Caten/Martin (CSUB), 21-13, 23-21
#2. Erteltova/Kaelin (CSUB) def. Mendiola/Bazylevych (CSUN), 21-11, 22-20
#3. Ensign/Milne (CSUB) def. Coggins/Patrick (CSUN), 21-16, 17-21, 15-10
#4. Hall/Heflin (CSUN) def. Combs/Silacci-Jensen (CSUB), 21-14, 17-21, 15-11
#5. Miles/Cederlind (CSUN) def. Ostler/Garcia (CSUB), 21-10, 21-13Â
#GoMatadors
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