The CSUN women’s volleyball team will open their 2007 Big West Conference schedule at UC Santa Barbara Friday at 7 p.m., followed by a match against No. 20 Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo on Saturday at 3 p.m.

The Matadors have been on the road for all of their 12 pre-conference matches, starting on August 24. The road has been rough for CSUN, with many matches against nationally ranked opponents.

The Matadors head into conference play with a 3-9 record and a five-game losing streak. UC Santa Barbara is on a three-game winning streak and has a record of 5-7. Friday’s match also opens conference play for the Gauchos.

UCSB leads the series against the Matadors, 22-3, with UCSB winning the last seven matches. The Matadors last played the Gauchos in Santa Barbara last November, with UCSB taking the match 3-2.

CSUN’s results against Cal Poly have been better, with the Matadors leading the series 20-18. The Mustangs have won the last three match ups, however, with the last being a 3-0 sweep by Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.

As a team, CSUN has 607 kills for the season, compared to 707 by its opponents. The Matadors average 13.8 kills per game while their opponents average 16.1 kills per game. CSUN has served up 52 aces, while opponents have aced the Matadors 64 times.

On defense, CSUN averages 14.8 digs per game and 650 for the season, while opponents average 16.8 digs per game and 739 for the season.

Freshman outside hitter Alex Johnson leads the team in kills with 112 for the season. Junior middle blocker Val Kepler has 102 kills and sophomore outside hitter Angela Hupp has 94. Junior Amy Hultner leads the defensive effort with 192 digs, followed by junior Kelley Hanson with 104 and Hupp with 92.

Friday’s match will be broadcast live on GoMatadors.com.