California State University at Northridge
2-0,0-0Big West
Pacific
1-1,0-0WCC
CSUN Improves to 2-0 with Four-Set Win Over Pacific
8/30/2025 8:42:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — Junior Iye Okolo pounded a career-high 13 kills on .545 hitting, and senior Leah Miller added 10 kills as CSUN rallied after dropping the opening set to defeat Pacific 3-1 (18-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-22) on Saturday night at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
The Matadors (2-0) overcame a sluggish start, hitting just .074 in the first set, before finding their rhythm behind Okolo and Miller. CSUN hit .300 in the second and .231 in the fourth to close out the victory and remain unbeaten at the season-opening Ridge Invitational.
Pacific (1-1) came out hot, riding 15 kills from both Hannah Koester and Olivia Keller to claim the first set 25-18. But the Tigers could not sustain their momentum, hitting just .000 in the second set and .104 in the third.
Junior Tatiana Turgeon chipped in six kills on .500 hitting for CSUN, while Julia Bazylevych contributed eight kills and four blocks. Libero Paige Sentes anchored the back row with 24 digs, helping the Matadors hold Pacific to .129 hitting on the night.
Alessia Couchond paced Pacific's offense with 37 assists and seven digs, while libero Jayhlin Swain collected a match-high 29 digs. Alyson Cox added eight kills and five blocks for the Tigers.
The match featured 24 ties and eight lead changes, but CSUN's efficiency in key moments proved decisive, sealing the final set on a Pacific attack error.
NOTES
- CSUN opens a season with consecutive wins for the first time since 2014, when the Matadors opened the season 5-0.
- With the win over Pacific, CSUN improves to 12-15 all-time against its former Big West rival.
HEAD COACH AQUILES MONTOYA SAID
"Really excited about how we fought against a good Pacific team. We tried some different things, going back to some of our more reliable players from last year. Autumn Rojelio stepped up big time with some service runs, and kind of the resurgence of Tatiana Turgeon, who essentially started all of our matches last season and really exploded offensively in sets three and four. We weren't great in certain aspects of the game tonight, but other parts really stepped up. We're excited and energized to play Cal Baptist on Sunday."
UP NEXT
CSUN closes out the Ridge Invitational on Sunday, taking on California Baptist at 2 p.m.
#GoMatadors
