California State University at Northridge
1-0,0-0Big West
Idaho State
0-1,0-0Big Sky
CSUN Pulls Off Reverse Sweep Over Idaho State in Season Opener
8/29/2025 9:19:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — Leah Miller put down a team-high 19 kills and CSUN stormed back from two sets down to stun Idaho State 3-2 (18-25, 21-25, 31-29, 25-23, 15-12) in the Matadors' season opener Friday night at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
Miller hit .389 and added eight digs, while Iye Okolo chipped in 11 kills on a .409 clip for the Matadors (1-0). Setter Katie Kolar dished out 48 assists and tallied seven kills of her own.
Idaho State (0-1) leaned on a balanced attack led by Marci Bell's 11 kills and Brinley Smith's nine, but the Bengals couldn't close out the match after holding a 2-0 lead.
The turning point came in the third set, where CSUN fought off multiple set points before Miller's kill sealed a 31-29 win. The Matadors carried that momentum into the fourth, racing to a 14-6 lead and holding off a late Idaho State rally.
In the decisive fifth set, Julia Bazylevych and Amaris Smith combined for crucial late kills, and Bazylevych capped the comeback with the match-winner at 15-12.
CSUN hit .191 as a team compared to Idaho State's .222, but the Matadors out-dug the Bengals 95-86.
The Bengals finished with 14.5 total team blocks, paced by Tana Howard and Jaydin Watts, while libero Jenna Werbelow collected a match-high 36 digs.
NOTES
- The victory snaps a string of nine straight season-opening losses for the Matadors, who opened a season at home for the first time since 2005.
- CSUN improves to 16-4 all-time against former Big Sky Conference rivals Idaho State.
HEAD COACH AQUILES MONTOYA SAID
"The biggest thing for us is that we have a lot more faith in our depth, making changes, and making sure everyone stays engaged. We had a big night from Julia (Bazylevych) tonight, who started, came off, and then went back in to close it out for us. To win 31-29 against a great Idaho State team, really proud of how our team responded."
UP NEXT
CSUN returns to action Saturday against Pacific at 6 p.m., while Idaho State faces California Baptist at 2 p.m. Both matches mark day two of The Ridge Invitational.
#GoMatadors
