California State University at Northridge
5-2,0-0Big West
Santa Clara
2-5,0-0WCC
CSUN Improves to 5-2 With Four-Set Win Over Santa Clara in Fresno
9/11/2025 8:58:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
FRESNO, Calif. — Leah Miller and Julia Bazylevych each had a team-high 11 kills as CSUN defeated Santa Clara 3-1 at the Bulldog Invitational on Thursday night at the Save Mart Center.
The Matadors (5-2) took control early, winning the first two sets 25-20 and 25-12, before dropping the third 25-20. CSUN sealed the match with a 26-24 victory in the fourth.
Miller, who hit .476 with just a single hitting error on 21 swings, added three blocks and three digs in a balanced CSUN attack. Bazylevych hit .067 on 45 swings, while Amaris Smith had 10 kills on a .348 hitting percentage. The Matadors hit .262 as a team, to .126 for the Broncos, and out-blocked Santa Clara 12-8.
Tatiana Turgeon was efficient with four kills on six swings (.667), and Hayley Ogden chipped in eight kills (.263) and three blocks. Redshirt junior Jan Marie Duhaylungsod made her first start of the season at setter and directed the offense with 21 assists. Taylor Dunlap also got extended time at setter, posting a season-high 12 assists to go with two aces, while libero Paige Sentes led all players in the match with 15 digs along with a pair of aces.
Santa Clara (2-5) was led by Cate Shanahan with 12 kills.
NOTES
- With the win, the Matadors improve to 2-1 in neutral-site matches this season.
- CSUN also remained a perfect 4-0 this season in four-set matches.
HEAD COACH AQUILES MONTOYA SAID
"With us putting out a new offense and system, we are happy to get a neutral site victory over a good Santa Clara program. After two heartbreaking 5-set losses on the road, you love to see your team respond with a desire to win. I loved our game plan against the Broncos, but collectively as a unit, we felt like we should have kept the pressure on them after they made their adjustments. Knowing that our roster has depth with players that can help us win in multiple systems and adjustments now is a dream for a coach, but there's still a lot of room for improvement."
UP NEXT
CSUN returns home for a non-conference match against Lipscomb on Saturday at 3 p.m. before returning to Fresno on Sunday to take on host Fresno State in the finale of the Bulldog Invitational.
#GoMatadors
