Oct. 12, 2007

Box Score

DAVIS, Calif. - Junior middle blocker posted 17 kills and hit .469 to help Cal State Northridge fight back from a two-game deficit in a five-game win over UC Davis in Big West Conference women's volleyball action Friday before a school-record crowd of 2,326. The game scores were 26-30, 25-30, 30-25, 34-32, 16-14 in favor of the Matadors.

The Aggies remain winless in Big West play, falling to 0-7 in conference and 3-15 overall. Northridge, winning its second five-game match in three dates, improves to 7-12 for the year and 4-3 in league.

Sophomore Britt Erickson had a season-best 20 kills to lead UC Davis offensively. Sophomore Carson Lowden had 13 digs, four blocks and hit .429, while freshman Kayla Varney registered a double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs.

Freshman Brittany Williams came off the bench late in the match to post three blocks, including two in the final points of the decisive fifth game. Another freshman, Lynda Morales, contributed in nine of her team's 20 total blocks.

UC Davis made its move in Game 1 behind the offense of junior outside hitter Renee Ibekwe, who posted five kills in a run of seven unanswered points, bringing the Aggie edge to 23-15. Varney later posted two kills and a block to put UC Davis in a 28-22 hold over the opener. CSUN enjoyed a late rush, holding off three straight game points, but senior Katelyn Astruc finished off the victory with a game-winning kill.

The Aggies had six blocks in Game 1, led by Tori Hooper's solo and three assists.

In Game 2, Erickson came off the UC Davis bench to hit six kills on 11 swings, including three in a late Aggie outburst that pushed her team up by 26-20. Varney tooled the Matador block for kills at 28-23 and 29-24 as the Aggies won virtually wire-to-wire.

Northridge assumed control in Game 3, breaking away to a 19-10 lead behind Harmony Burdine's tough serving and defense. Erickson had three kills in a brief UC Davis comeback, bringing the Aggies to within four at 22-18. However, the hosts never approached closer than that margin despite two more Erickson kills down the stretch. Morales scored the game-winner on a one set, holding off the UC Davis sweep.

The Aggies led for most of Game 4 before suffering a run of attack errors that allowed the Matadors to tie the game at 27-27. Erickson briefly restored the lead with a kill at 28-27, but Morales answered with a winner of her own to re-tie the game at 28-28. The two teams continued to trade points to a 32-32 lock, then CSUN scored back-to-back points to take the win and force Game 5.

UC Davis held two-point leads in the later stages of the fifth, moving up by a 9-7 margin on a Northridge hitting error, then again to 12-10 when Turner sent a hard shot off the head of a Matador blocker. Still, the CSUN net defense came through again with the two Williams blocks down the final stretch.

The Aggies return to action on Saturday at home against Long Beach State.