The CSUN women’s volleyball team continued their losing streak with a disappointing 3-0 25-28, 28-26, 20-25 loss against the UC San Diego Tritons at Premier America Credit Union last Friday, Oct. 20.
With the loss, the team dropped to 2-14 and are 0-5 in the Big West Conference so far this season.
The Matadors’ errors and poor execution in their passing and defense, along with the injuries to several prominent players, contributed to the poor performance, in which they were outscored 63-43.
“We have a lot of injured players on the team right now that are pushing through and fighting through and playing still, and a lot of them are starters,” opposite Leah Miller said. “Coming together, knowing that, and embracing it and being together as a team to uplift each other.”
The Tritons dominated the Matadors throughout the game as they led in points, kills, aces, assists and digs. However, the Matadors managed a tie in blocks, as both outside hitter Perri Starkey and middle blocker Taylor Hunter each got three.
Starkey impacted the game in other ways, as she also led the Matadors with 11 kills, which was tied for the game’s best.
“It was a frustrating loss,” director of women’s volleyball John Price said. “It’s the same old story, as there were a lot of missed opportunities.”
The Matadors started the first set fiercely, as they went up by three points midway through the set.
“Game one, we’re up 18-15 and get a free ball and hit it out of bounds and then they run up,” Price said. “We should’ve been up 19-15 serving and instead and I guess we shoot ourselves in the foot too often. Everyone does that but we just do that too often.”
The second set was a highly contested one in which the Matadors were unable to complete their comeback; they were down 21-17 but eventually lost 28-26, as the Matadors struggled to handle the ball from passes and digs.
CSUN didn’t start the final set off with effective play, as they were already down five before they got their first point from a Triton serve error and were down the entire rest of the match until the game concluded.
Following the game, middle blocker Iye Okolo emphasized that the team’s “energy was high but needed to execute better.”
“At the end of the day, that’s what’s going to give us that win, and we’re falling short but I know we got this,” Okolo said. “We got more season left and we’re going to be able to pick it up, fight, and get some wins.”
While the Matadors look to improve their ability to correctly handle the ball and communicate better in both passing and serve defense, they remain positive and optimistic for the season, largely due to their performance knowing how injured and limited they have been so far.
When asked what she was most proud of, Miller said it was the team’s resolve to continue playing hard and with effort, despite their poor record.
“I think, as a team, I’m most proud of us continuing to fight,” Miller said. “Obviously a seven-game losing streak takes a toll on your mental [health], but I feel like we haven’t just completely folded and that every set we’re still fighting no matter what the score is. Even this game, it was like 7-20 at one point and we even brought it all the way back to 20-25, so I think that shows in itself it’s all mental.”
The Matadors will host Long Beach State University at the Premier America Credit Union on Oct. 28 at 3:00 p.m. for their final home game before their eventual short road trip.
