The Northridge women’s volleyball team won their second conference match of the season Saturday night.
Junior outside hitter Angela Hupp posted 15 kills and four blocks to lead Cal State Northridge to a sweep over UC Davis in a Big West Conference women’s volleyball match at the Pavilion in Davis. They won the sets 25-20, 25-22 and 25-20
Northridge improves to 8-21 overall and 2-13 in league play. With the loss, UC Davis moves to 12-16 for the season and 4-11 in Big West matches.
Seven of Northridge’s eight wins this season have come on the road and the three-set sweep was the Matadors’ first since Sept. 12 against Montana.
Both teams fought to a close battle for most of the first set, with the Aggies generally holding a slim lead throughout. With the Aggies leading 19-18, sophomores Siara Grayson and Lynda Morales scored back-to-back kills to launch a strong Matador finish. A pair of UC Davis shots missed just wide of the sideline stripe to bump the Northridge lead to 22-20. Then Hupp, who had been 0-for-6 to open the match, posted consecutive kills to seal the win.
Hupp continued her offensive contributions into the second set, scoring three kills during a 5-1 start. The Aggies scrapped their way back to a 19-19 tie. However, the Matadors again finished strong while the Aggie offense sputtered with two late attacking errors, sending the Matadors back up by a 23-19 advantage. Hupp finished with eight kills and two block assists in the second set alone.
The Aggies again fought back from a slow start in the third set, eventually taking an 11-9 lead after a Matador service error. But Northridge struck back with five straight points, getting two kills and a block from Grayson in that run. The Matadors maintained a two or three-point gap for the next dozen points, then padded the lead to five after libero Kelley Hanson’s unlikely dig-kill. Hanson had gotten a touch on a hard attack by Aggie sophomore Julie King. Her dig sailed over the net and into a vacant portion of the Aggies’ court for the point.
Grayson’s sixth kill of the third set provided CSUN with a 24-20 match point, then an Aggie crosscourt shot sailed wide to deliver the Matadors the victory.
The defeat of the Aggies came one day after the Matadors lost to the Pacific Tigers in straight sets. A win would result in the only sweep of an opponent of the season for Northridge.
Leading 10-8 in the opening set, Pacific took control with five straight points to build a 15-8 edge. Senior Natalia Tomaszewska led the Pacific charge with two kills and a block assist. Fellow senior Kara Uhl chipped in a service ace, while sophomore Svenja Engelhardt rounded out the run on a solo block.
Late in the set, the Matadors cut the Tigers’ lead to just three at 20-17, but Pacific nabbed the next four and went on to take the set
The Pacific defense held Cal State Northridge to a side out percentage of just 37 percent and a hitting average of .032 (eight kills and seven errors on 31 attempts) in the victory.
Senior setter Shannon Krug kept the Tigers momentum rolling as the second set began. Krug distributed the ball out to four different Tigers as Pacific raced out to an 8-2 early lead. Krug kept Pacific on target throughout the set, leading her team to 12 kills and only one error on 31 attempts in the set leading to another set win.
Out of the break the Tigers went right back to work at the start of the third set, building a 12-4 lead. Pacific cruised to a 25-18 victory, earning their 10th win in the Alex G. Spanos Center this season.
Senior Alexa Anderson led the Tigers with a match-high 12 kills and an impressive .355 hitting percentage. Alexa committed only one error on 31 attempts.
Northridge splits the season series against both conference foes.
Cal State Northridge closes out the 2008 season Friday as the Matadors entertain No. 25 Long Beach State on senior night. Northridge will honor its five seniors, Kelley Hanson, Amy Hultner, Val Kepler, Jenn Probert and Kayla Wright in pre-match ceremonies.