When women’s volleyball head coach Aquiles Montoya was hired last spring he took over a program that hasn’t seen much success on the court.
But months later despite finishing the season at 10-19, CSUN secured their most wins since 2019 and finished eighth in the Big West. And with 15 out of 17 players on the roster returning for next season, it’s safe to say that Montoya is building a foundation for his team to succeed in 2025 and beyond.
When former Director of Women’s Volleyball John Price announced his retirement after the 2023 season the program was coming off one of their worst seasons in recent years. The team finished 6-23 overall and 4-14 in the Big West and found themselves with a vacant head coaching position.
After the announcement, Athletic Director Shawn Chin-Farrell was tasked with finding who will lead the program and took the chance on Montoya, an assistant coach from Portland State with no collegiate head coaching experience.
Nonetheless when hired, no time was wasted. Montoya spent the offseason rebuilding the roster not only to his liking, but also finding players who wanted to help the program win now.
Katie Kolar, a transfer from West Virginia and Montoya recruit, arrived at Northridge wasting no time when the season began as she started the year with two Big West Setter of the Week honors.
Her performance in the early portion of the season showcased the trust Montoya and the team had in her as she wasted no time trying to help the team succeed such as when she handed out 35 assists along with eight digs and six kills in the Matadors’ 3-0 victory against California Baptist in CSUN’s home opener.
Not only did Kolar shine in her debut season with the Matadors but so did Amaris Smith, a transfer from Long Island University. After appearing in 31 matches for Long Island and recording 303 kills (second in the NEC) in 2023. Montoya understood that the program can benefit with Smith’s skillset.
Over the course of the year not only did Smith log in a Big West Player of the Week honor but also led the team in kills with 383, averaging 3.55 kills per set in her first year with CSUN. She began the year posting 20+ kills in five of her first 10 matches and although she did cool off when Big West play began, Smith did step up when it counted. In the last home game of the year for the Matadors, Smith posted 23 kills to help lead her team clinch a come from behind victory on Senior Day that saw CSUN defeat UC Riverside in five sets.
With players such as Smith and Kolar returning for the 2025 season, Montoya is building up his program with two important qualities, experience and resilience. The Matadors this season finished the year 5-13 in conference play, although eighth in the Big West as a team, CSUN does rank top five in assists, kills and digs.
Averaging 12.69 kills per set, CSUN finds themselves in fifth just behind UC Davis at 12.92 and two slots above UC Irvine, both teams clinched playoff spots this season. And in terms of assists, CSUN ranks higher than Irvine and Long Beach State, again two teams who participated in this year’s Big West championship.
If CSUN wants to find themselves with a chance to compete in the postseason they need to do more in limiting their opponent. This season CSUN ranks eighth in opponent hitting percentage at .231 and are allowing opposing teams to average 13.04 kills per set.
The Matadors have no trouble scoring on their own but if they want to see themselves with the likes of Long Beach State and Hawaii, two teams who participated in the Big West Championship. And ranked first in blocks, opponent hitting percentage, opponent kills and opponent assists, then the Matadors have a lot to build upon if they want to take that next step.
With much more to build in future seasons and the recent announcement of the team’s 2025 class. The women’s volleyball program is on the rise and with another year with Montoya under the helm the Matadors have a lot to look forward to in 2025 and beyond.
