COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL WIVA TOURNAMENT : Northridge Win Carries a Message

A diving, out-of-bounds dig by Ken Lynch, consecutive service aces by Axel Hager and a one-handed block by Coley Kyman combined to deliver a message Wednesday night: The Cal State Northridge volleyball team is back.

The plays also helped the Matadors to a 15-3, 17-16, 15-12 triumph over UC Santa Barbara in the first round of the Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn. tournament at UC Irvine’s Bren Center.

The win moves Northridge (18-11) into the WIVA tournament semifinals Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Cal State Long Beach, a first-round loser to Pepperdine.

The win was Northridge’s first this season over the Gauchos, who ended the year at 15-13. The Matadors lost to Santa Barbara twice during the 1-5 slide that ended their regular season.

This time, however, the Matadors took command from the start, scoring 11 consecutive points to close out the first game and give them a 6-0 lead in the second game. The Gauchos gradually came back in the second game, though, tying the score at 10, 11 and 12 before taking a 14-12 lead.

But in a show of resilience, the Matadors answered with a pair of aces by the jump-serving Hager to tie it, 14-14.

“I was not nervous,� Hager said. “I knew I could do it. I did it.�

Hager said he didn’t decide to try for an ace serve until he was in the air.

“You jump, you have a good feeling,� Hager said. “You hit it hard.�

Santa Barbara tied it at 15 and 16, but then, on a long point in which Northridge scrambled, Kyman ended the game, 17-16, with a kill through a block.

Kyman, a junior All-American from Reseda High, finished with a game-high 24 kills and a .583 hitting percentage.

“They had two blocks on him everywhere he went,� Northridge Coach John Price said. “He’s been a key all year.�

Kyman also made 14 digs and was in on two key blocks late in the match.

With the score tied, 12-12 in Game 3, Kyman teamed with Hager on a block to give Northridge the lead. On the very next play, Kyman’s one-handed block stopped Jason Mount, the Gauchos’ 6-foot-10 middle blocker, for a 14-12 advantage.

On match point, Santa Barbara’s kill attempt was long.

Lynch continued to pull out of a late-season slump for Northridge, registering 18 kills and 12 digs. Outside hitter Mike Mesnik and setter Matt Unger also reached double figures in digs with 13 and 11, respectively. Hager also had eight digs to break Neil Coffman’s single-season record of 239 by two.