CSUN over Beach in 3

[swingaway]

Good win for CSUN

Matadors Bounce Back To Sweep No. 8 Long Beach State

Box Score

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Cal State Northridge put an emphatic end to its three-match skid as the 10th-ranked Matadors blanked eighth-ranked Long Beach State 3-0 (30-17, 32-30, 30-24) Wednesday night at the Walter Pyramid.

With the win, the Matadors improve to 3-5 overall and 2-3 in the MPSF. The loss drops the 49ers to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play.

Sophomore Eric Vance had another strong match as he pounded a team-high 15 kills with just two errors in 22 swings for a .591 hitting clip. He also added nine digs and four blocks to complete a solid outing. Isaac Kneubuhl also reached double figures in kills with 11 (.176) while James Lischer added seven kills (.263) and Ryan Adams, making his first career start, added five kills and three aces. Matador setter Travis Bluemling posted 36 assists, seven digs and five blocks in the win.

Northridge out-served the 49ers eight aces to three with six combined aces coming from Vance and Adams. The Matadors also posted a sizable 13.0 to 5.0 advantage in team blocks as Lischer had a team-high six stuffs.

For Long Beach, Paul Lotman was the lone player to reach double figures as he knocked down a match-high 19 kills (.283) to go with 10 digs. Dean Bittner and Fletcher Anderson each added eight kills but the 49ers hit just .150 (44-27-113) as a team. The Matadors hit at a .286 clip (42-12-105) in posting their first three-game sweep of the season.

Northridge continues its two match road trip on Friday as the Matadors travel to UC San Diego. First serve at RIMAC Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m.

- GO MATADORS -

[swingaway]

From LB Site:

LONG BEACH, CA -- The Long Beach State 49ers (4-3, 2-2 MPSF) struggled on Wednesday night as they fell to the Cal State Northridge Matadors (3-5, 2-3 MPSF) for the second time this season. Game scores were 30-17, 32-30, 30-24.
The 49ers, who lost to the Matadors at the UCSB/E-Bar Tournament earlier this year, hit .150 on the evening, while CSUN hit .286. LBSU struggled on serve receive as the Matadors recorded eight aces. They also out-blocked the 49ers 13.0 to 5.0.

The 49ers were led by Paul Lotman who posted his second double-double of the season with a match-high 19 kills and 10 digs. Dean Bittner and Fletcher Anderson chipped in eight kills apiece. Dustin Watten had a match-high 13 digs.

The Matadors were led by Eric Vance who had 15 kills and nine digs, hitting an impressive .591. Isaac Kneubuhl chipped in 11 kills for CSUN.

Long Beach State couldn’t find a rhythm in game one as they fell to the Matadors 30-17. The 49ers never saw a lead as Northridge went up 14-11 after a hitting error by Lotman. The Matadors went on a 9-1 run to close out the game, capped by an ace from Mike Gaudino. The 49ers hit -.033 in game one while the Matadors hit .393. CSUN also outblocked LBSU 4.5 to 0.

The 49ers regrouped in game two as they led for most of the early going, but could not put the Matadors away as CSUN pulled out the 32-30 victory. LBSU went up 21-18 after an ace by Norm Hutton, but the Matadors came back to take a 27-23 lead with a Vance kill. The 49ers wouldn’t go down quietly as they tied it up at 29-29 and again at 30-30 before a Hutton hitting error ended the set.

Long Beach State came out in game three with some fire as they went up 9-2 after a kill by Lotman, but they couldn’t hold on as they ended up dropping the set to the Matadors 30-24.

Long Beach State returns to action on Friday evening as they take on UC Santa Barbara at The Walter Pyramid for a 7 pm MPSF match-up.

[fingrbustr]

Go Matadors!!! Great win...don't underestimate Ring and the upset-minded Tritons!!!

[Rocky]

This was a very nice win for the Matadors. They played with confidence tonight. It was fun to watch!

Good luck to the Matadors on Friday against UCSD.

Go Matadors!

[volleyfred]

Looks like CSUN did well!

[swingaway]

First ever start for RS Sophomore Ryan Adams. Not overpowering like Rhodes but had a solid showing. Blueming got the start at setter and had his best game of the season. Sean Carter had his second start at Libero and played well. Lisher and RS freshman McKniff were solid in the middle. Knuebuhl and Vance were the offense glue. Solid passing and powerful hitting from both. Vance's serve was on. Only 3 aces in the stats but lots of free balls and blocks cam from the hard to handle serves.

Very good play, especially in the pyramid. Also hope they don't let down for UCSD. Big test next Wed at home with Pepperdine. Darn this is a tough league.