Box Score IRVINE, Calif. – Blocking and serving were keys to CSUN's 3-2 victory over UC Irvine at the Bren Events Center Saturday.
The Matadors won 19-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-20, 15-8 behind a 14-4 advantage in blocks and 10-4 advantage in aces.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
>UCI (4-20, 1-11) out-hit CSUN .232 to .223 and had more digs (74-61)
>Five Anteaters posted double-figure kills led by Abby Marjama's 16. She recorded her eighth double-double with 11 digs
>Makayla Wolfe tied her season-high with 14 kills and two blocks, while Onye Ofoegnu added 13 kills and two blocks
>Loryn Carter and Cassie Stewart pitched in 10 kills apiece
>Seyvion Waggoner led the Matadors with 14 kills. Makayla Bradford had a match-best 21 digs and three aces
TURNING POINTS
FIRST SET
>UCI started with an ace from Kelly Negron and a block by Onye Ofoegbu and Cassie Stewart followed by a Matador attack error and kills by Stewart and Abby Marjama to jump out to a 5-0 lead
>CSUN would score the next three, but the Anteaters would answer with three of their own, 8-3
>Consecutive kills by Stewart, Loryn Carter and Marjama plus a block by Cater and Makayla Wolfe extended the lead to 13-6
>Another 4-0 spurt by UCI moved the gap to 22-13
>UCI would win the set on a kill by Wolfe, 25-19
SECOND SET
>With the score tied at 11-11, CSUN would use a 4-1 run to take a 15-12 lead
>UCI would get no closer than two the rest of the way as CSUN would win 25-18
>After hitting .000 in the first set, the Matador posted a .400 (15-3-30) mark in the second
THIRD SET
>CSUN jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead
>Down 6-3, UCI had kills by Carter and Wolfe and two Matador errors to take the lead at 7-6
>A CSUN kill and two UCI attack errors would flip the script and take a lead only to watch UCI regain control with three straight 10-9
>The teams would trade points until three Ofoegbu kills, two put down on overpasses from tough Marjama serves helped the Anteaters to a 17-13 advantage
>A play which featured great digs by Erin Alonso and Bailey Darnell was finished by Wolfe in the middle, 21-18
>CSUN would close within 22-20, but the Anteaters would out-score the Matadors 3-1 to end the set, 25-21
FOURTH SET
>Six straight Matador points, five on UCI errors moved CSUN out to a 12-9 lead
>The Anteaters never recovered and CSUN won 25-20 to force a fifth set
FIFTH SET
>CSUN started with an early 3-1 lead and extended the margin to 7-2 on a Makayla Bradford ace
>A Sierra Davis ace got the Anteaters to 8-5 before the Matadors peeled off the next three, 11-5
>CSUN completed the victory with a kill, 15-8
NOTES
>Freshman Bailey Darnell had a career-high nine digs
>Setter Kelly Negron had her 10th double-double with 54 set assists and 13 digs
>Libero Chloe Owens totaled a team-high 17 digs, the 13th time this season she has recorded double-digits
>CSUN improves to 12-13 overall and 7-6 in the Big West. The Matadors, who were under the direction of Associate Head Coach Susie Terrusa Saturday, won their fourth straight
UP NEXT
>UCI will host its final homestand against UC Riverside Friday (Nov. 15) and UC Davis Saturday (Nov. 16). Both matches start at 7:00 p.m. at the Bren Events Center.
