Hagar’s Power Game Sparks Northridge to Volleyball Win

Perhaps it’s his name, evoking images of hard-rock lead singers.

Maybe it’s his stoic intensity on the volleyball court.

It might be the ferociousness with which he spikes the ball.

Whatever the reason, Axel Hagar of Cal State Northridge is fast becoming a crowd favorite at Matador Gymnasium.

Hagar had 13 kills to help power host Northridge to a 15-4, 15-8, 15-5 victory over UC Irvine in a Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn. match Friday night.

The win--in Northridge’s home opener--was the third in a row for the No. 4-ranked Matadors (8-5, 3-1 in WIVA play) and adds to their momentum heading into Monday night’s match at No. 2 Stanford.

Ken Lynch had a match-high 17 kills (.556 hitting percentage) and Coley Kyman added 16 for Northridge, but it was outside hitter Hagar who drew the loudest reaction from the crowd of 967.

The 6-foot-7, 195-pound junior from Hamburg, Germany, had four spikes that public address announcer San Lagana deemed worthy of his “Hasta la vista, baby,� pronouncement, yet Hagar remained stone-faced throughout most of the match. On the rare occasions when he showed emotion, it was usually in appreciation of a teammate’s play.

“It’s going to be a long season with a lot of big matches,� Hagar said. “I’ll get emotional then. When it’s a very close match, I’m emotional. I can show emotions, but it’s not necessary in a match like this.�

Irvine (3-8, 1-8) entered the match as a heavy underdog, and Northridge never gave the Anteaters a chance to contemplate an upset.

The Matadors jumped out to a 6-3 lead in the first game, then reeled off eight unanswered points before Irvine scored on Leland Quinn’s service ace to make the score 14-4.

The score was tied, 6-6, in the second game, but Northridge took control by surging to a 12-6 lead. And after being tied, 4-4, in the third game, the Matadors scored 11 of the final 12 points.

“Our goal was to win in three games, and we did that,� Hagar said. “We did a good job.�

Coach John Price said the Matadors were uneven, but he was pleased with the overall effort.

“I was wary of Irvine not because we play Stanford next, but because we were playing Irvine,� Price said. “There are two or three teams in the conference that we feel we should always beat, and it’s hard to concentrate completely when you feel like you’re going to beat them going in.�

Irvine’s Quinn, Chad Jones and Greg Amaya each had nine kills.