The CSUN women’s volleyball team went into Saturday night’s match hosting the Hawai’i Rainbow Wāhine without a win against them in over 10 years. The Matadors shocked everyone by reigning victorious with a clean sweep in three straight sets (25-21, 25-21, 25-12), breaking their winless streak at the Premier America Credit Union Arena.
This sweep was the first of the season for the Matadors and only the second against Hawai’i in team history. Last year, Hawai’i beat CSUN in five sets and swept them the year prior.
The win puts their record at (9-6) and (2-2) in conference play.
CSUN opposite Leah Miller, who played in all matches, and discussed her emotions going into the match.
“Last year, we had a heartbreaker game,” Miller said. “We went to five sets, lost by two [sets], so tonight we were coming in with the thought of revenge and the thought of just out here to play and just to take back that champion win.”
Hawai’i took the first point of the match, with CSUN quickly countering back. The Matadors went on a 6-point run to take control of the set, putting themselves up 9-4 before Hawai’i scored again.
The Matadors eventually held a comfortable lead with about twice as many points as the Wāhine (6-9, 2-2 Big West).
In the second set, CSUN scored first but Hawai’i was right behind them, tying up the match every chance they could get. Hawai’i gained their first lead of the set, being up 5-4 on a service error by CSUN middle blocker Tatiana Turgeon.
Neither team let the other hold on to a lead for long as they tied the match five separate times during this set. CSUN went on to score a few more points, gaining more breathing room with a five-point lead over Hawai’i.
The Rainbow Wāhine were only able to take a two-point advantage over the Matadors during the course of the match, while CSUN outside hitter Amaris Smith dominated with 12 of the 41 total kills.
It was déjà vu as the Matadors won the set by another 25-21 margin and were on the verge of completing a sweep over the Rainbow Wāhine, something they haven’t done since 2014.
CSUN libero/defensive specialist Paige Sentes talked about what key aspects she saw from her team during this match.
“We’ve recently struggled with having a big gap and not being able to finish,” she said. “Being able to close and just be intentional with what we’re doing and really follow our game plan that we have prepared for us.”
The Matadors blew the match open in the third set as they continued their momentum and steamrolled past Hawai’i. The Matadors put the nail in the coffin with their biggest lead of the night, sitting at 13 points as they completed the sweep with a 25-12 win.
CSUN head coach Aquiles Montoya said he was proud of his team’s performance.
“There wasn’t too many instances of people trying to make a hero play, and I think that’s what has got us in trouble before,” he said. “It’s gonna take some time as we start to mature, but I think this was definitely a step in the right direction of everybody doing their job.”
The Matadors will travel to Cal State Fullerton for their next match on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 6 p.m., looking to continue their win streak. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
