The CSUN women’s volleyball team is coming off an impressive sweep over California Baptist University on Tuesday morning in their home debut. Continuing their second home game against the Cougars of Washington State University, the Matadors were looking to start off their six-game home stretch strong but failed to close out in key situations.
After dropping the first two sets to the Cougars (5-3), it looked like the Matadors (3-6) would get swept and the night would end early. Matadors stormed back in the third and fourth set, winning 25-23 and 28-26 to force a deciding fifth set. Despite some heroic efforts by the Matadors, Washington State secured the 3-2 victory in a non-conference showdown at the Premier America Credit Union Arena.
Coming into this game, CSUN was unbeaten at home but quickly put themselves in a 0-2 hole.
Washington State, led by Katy Ryan’s 17 kills and aggressive defense with 12 blocks, was poised early to walk away with a win despite the Matadors rallying in sets three and four. The Cougars proved to be too strong in the fifth set as they held off the Matadors in pressurized moments.
Despite the tough loss, CSUN head coach Aquiles Montoya was proud of his team’s efforts for not quitting and showing heart despite struggling in the first and second sets.
“I think it was heart that they showed out there that got us back into it,” said Montoya. “We had some courageous plays by Amaris [Smith] and Julia [Bazylevych] who took some big violent swings, showcasing their fight and bravery in the game.”
The Cougars maintained a lead for most of the first set, pushing the lead to 24-18 and coming to the verge of a seemingly easy win.
However, the Matadors fought back with an impressive 7-0 run, taking advantage of a service ace from Paige Sentes to take a 25-24 lead. Despite the impressive comeback to take a 1-point lead, the Matadors failed to win the game on two chances to close it out, allowing Washington State to score three final points to win 28-26.
“It’s putting our players in those situations to practice a little bit more, so they can get a feel of those close situations,” said Montoya. “Sometimes you can do everything right and it just won’t roll your way based on how volleyball is played.”
In the second set, CSUN struggled as the Cougar’s defense stepped up, limiting the Matadors to just a .103 hitting percentage. The Cougars jumped ahead early and maintained the lead throughout the set, pushing the score to 12-8.
From there, CSUN struggled to find an answer, as Washington State finished off the set 25-17 to go up 2-0.
Facing the potential sweep heading into the third set, the Matadors began to get it going, demonstrating resilience and grit. Washington State once again built an early lead at 10-5, but CSUN steadily chipped away, tying the set at 20-20 after back-to-back Cougar errors.
With the score tied at 23-23, the fans were shaking their seats and started chanting “C-S-U-N,” boosting the team’s energy. CSUN’s Leah Miller delivered a clutch kill, and Washington State’s hitting error handed the Matadors a hard-fought 25-23 victory, keeping the match alive.
The fourth set was even tighter, with both teams trading points in a back-and-forth battle. Both teams kept up and stayed close to a win; neither squad ever led by more than 3 points.
A critical block by CSUN gave them a 19-16 lead, but Washington State fought back to tie the set at 22-22. The Matadors had to fight off a match point after trailing 24-23 before closing the set on a 4-2 run. A kill by Amaris Smith, who led CSUN with 20 kills, capped off the 28-26 win, forcing a fifth set.
“It was just great to see them be brave in those moments,” said Montoya. “I don’t think they did anything wrong in those situations; ultimately, you look at some of those sets we won 25-23 and 28-26 after being on the verge of getting swept.”
In the decisive fifth set, both teams battled for every point, but it was Washington State that found just enough to edge the close win.
The Matadors tied the score 12-12 after a block, but a service error and two Cougar kills ended the Matador’s comeback hopes. Washington State held on for the 15-13 win, securing their third straight victory and handing CSUN its first home loss of the season.
“We need to be aggressive and prepare against a really confident Portland [State University] team tomorrow night,” said Montoya. “I told them to try and learn from the mistakes that they made today and continue to be aggressive.”
The Matadors bounced back with wins against Portland State on Friday and Saturday at home. With two victories at home this past weekend, CSUN will look to carry their momentum into conference play, with their first game slated against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo at the Premier America Credit Union Arena on Friday, Sept. 27.
