NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - Five-set matches are becoming de rigueur
between CSUB and Cal State Northridge. Friday night, the teams went the
distance for the fourth consecutive meeting. For the third time, the
Roadrunners came out on top, holding on for a 25-21, 17-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-13
win at the Matadome in Northridge.
CSUB
(11-13 overall) came from two sets to one down to beat Northridge (7-16) when
the teams met in Bakersfield on Sept. 30. Friday night, the Roadrunners scored
six of the final eight points to overcome an 11-9 deficit in the fifth set en
route to the win.
"I
thought we played really hard for the entire match, and with the exception of
the second set, this match could have gone either way," said CSUB Head Coach
John Price. "I'm proud of our effort tonight and I'm really happy we got this
win."
Sophomores
Lindy DeGeare (Stockdale HS)
and Alysia Baker (Vista/Tri-City Christian) led a balanced CSUB attack with 14 and 12
kills respectively. Baker also hit .409.
Freshman
rightside hitter Morgan Pettway (Fort Worth, Texas) tossed in a career-high nine kills while
fellow Texan Kelsey Mills (Houston)
led the Roadrunners with six blocks.
Brittany
Williams and Angela Hupp combined for 34 of CSUN's 59 kills.
The
'Runners led for virtually the entire first set, but never by more than four
points, as they held on for the 25-21 win. Northridge eased away to an 18-10
lead in the second set then kept CSUB at arm's length for the 25-17 victory.
The
third and fourth sets stayed tight throughout, with the 'Runners holding on in
the third and Northridge pulling away late in the fourth.
That
set up the climactic fifth set in which the teams traded leads, before CSUB
finally took control with the match on the line. Trailing 9-7, the Matadors
reeled off four consecutive points to take an 11-9 lead of their own. Lindsay Toone (Liberty HS) notched
her ninth kill of the night to end the run before Baker brought CSUB to the
brink with a kill and an ace.
A
kill by Hupp saved one match point for Northridge, but DeGeare's 14th
kill of the night secured the win for the Roadrunners.
CSUB
returns home to host a pair of matches against fellow NCAA Division I
Independent member Seattle University Sunday and Monday, Nov. 1-2. Sunday's
match begins at 2 p.m.
