California State University Northridge Athletics
CSUN Continues Homestand vs. Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State
11/10/2015 3:22:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
MATADORS THIS WEEK:
MATCH #25Â (Big West Match #13):
Cal State Fullerton Titans (0-23, 0-11 Big West) at CSUN Matadors (5-19, 4-8Â Big West)
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015 - 7:00 p.m. PDT
The Matadome (2,000) - Northridge, CA
Live Stats
Live Stream
In-game Twitter updates:Â @CSUNWVB
MATCH #26Â (Big West Match #14):
Long Beach State 49ers (20-6, 10-3 Big West) at CSUN Matadors (5-19, 4-8 Big West)
Friday, Nov. 13, 2015 - 7:00 p.m. PDT
The Matadome (2,000) - Northridge, CA
Live Stats
Live Stream
In-game Twitter updates:Â @CSUNWVB
Weekly Match Notes (PDF)             Â
FORÂ STARTERS
The CSUN women's volleyball team (5-19, 4-8 Big West) continues its season-long, four-match homestand this week as the Matadors entertain Cal State Fullerton (0-23, 0-11 Big West) on Tuesday and Long Beach State (20-6, 10-3 Big West) on Friday. Both matches are scheduled for a 7 p.m. first serve. CSUN dropped the opener of the homestand as sixth-ranked Hawai'i swept the Matadors 25-14, 25-17, 25-19 on Saturday.
FOLLOW YOUR MATADORS ONLINE
Both matches this week will be streamed live on BigWest.TV. Both matches will have live stats (link on the women's volleyball schedule page at GoMatadors.com). All remaining Matador home matches this season will be streamed live through the CSUN Sports Network at BigWest.TV. Conference road matches will also be streamed live. All home matches this season will include live stats coverage at GoMatadors.com. For road matches, related links to the match, including for any live stats, audio and video, will be posted before the match on the women's volleyball schedule page of GoMatadors.com. Fans are also encouraged to check the CSUN Athletics Department's official Twitter feed (@GoMatadors) and the volleyball-specific feed (@CSUNWVB) for news and notes throughout the week as well as updates of matches in progress.
STORY LINES
• After opening the Big West season with three consecutive wins (UC Irvine, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara), the Matadors are now 1-8 over their last nine conference matches after falling to UC Riverside and No. 6 Hawai'i last week. At 4-8, CSUN is currently tied for seventh with UC Riverside in the Big West standings heading into the final two weeks of the 2015 season.Â
• Scouting UC Riverside (0-23, 0-11): The Titans lost at home to Long Beach State (3-0) and UC Riverside (3-0) last week to remain winless on the season. Fullerton, 0-9 on the road, is led by sophomore outside hitter Kyra Hill who averages a team-best 2.58 kills per set. Freshman middle Summer Kerins is second at 1.97 kps followed by Kandace Thomas at 1.63 kps. The Titans are hitting .146 as a team.
• Scouting Long Beach State (20-6, 10-3): The 49ers had their six-match winning streak snapped in a 3-1 loss to No. 6 Hawai'i last Friday but have still won eight of their last 10 matches. The 49ers, 6-2 on the road this season, are led by junior outside hitter Nele Barber who ranks fourth in the Big West at 3.98 kills per set. As a team, Long Beach State is hitting .248 which ranks third in the conference.
STINSON SURPASSES 1,000 CAREER KILLS
With her fourth kill against UC Davis on Sept. 26, senior Cieana Stinson became the 12th player in CSUN women's volleyball history to reach 1,000 career kills. Stinson began her final collegiate season with 836 career kills and has added a team-high 324 kills through 24 matches this season. With 1,160 career kills, Stinson currently ranks ninth in CSUN history. She now trails Mahina Haina by 21 kills for eighth place on the career list. Stinson became the fourth player in the last three seasons to reach the career milestone. Both Casey Hinger and Natalie Allen reached 1,000 kills in 2014 with Mahina Haina accomplishing the feat in 2013.
STINSON ON THE CAREER CHARTS
Cieana Stinson will add her name to the CSUN women's volleyball record books in a number of statistical categories when her Matador career is over. Stinson already ranks in the top-10 all-time in kills (1,160), total attempts (3,015) and solo blocks (55). In CSUN's rally scoring era (2001-present), the senior from Woodland Hills currently ranks second in solo blocks, third in kills, sixth in total attempts, eighth in sets played (410) and total blocks (218) and 10th in kills per set (2.83). Stinson's kills per set average this season (3.72) ranks sixth for a single season while her solo blocks total (20) ranks second and her total kills (324) ranks 10th.
COACHES CORNER
Matador head coach Jeff Stork shares his thoughts each week on the team, this week's matches and other topics.
"I think we're doing some things really well and need just slight improvement in other areas. We continue to pass, serve and defend pretty well but we need to have a few more kills and a few more blocks. With a young team, you hope the development continues in an upward pattern. Some players struggle to see the light at the end of the tunnel but everyone is improving and we're getting better as a volleyball team."
FIRST YEAR CONTRIBUTIONS
A host of first year players have made significant contributions to the Matadors in 2015. Junior Maddie Leiphardt leads the team in assists (403) and is second in aces (10) while freshman Aeryn Owens ranks second in kills (196) and kills per set (2.55). Redshirt freshman Nada Dragovic is second in digs (193), third in aces (9) and fourth in kills (128) while freshman Erin Indermill is second in assists (224). Freshman Jess Hess ranks third in blocks (29) and seventh in kills (47) while Kristey Markle (60 digs) and Rachel Daily (35 digs) have each started matches in recent weeks.  Â
MATADORS: THIS & THAT
With a team-high 16 service aces, senior Alia Casino is closing in a new season career high. Casino served 20 aces as a freshman in 2012 and now has 55 aces in her Matador career ... Casino is one of four CSUN players with 100 or more digs this season. Sophomore Katie Sato leads the squad with 268 followed by Dragovic (193), Casino (184) and Leiphardt (119) ... Junior Julie Haake has set season career-highs in nearly every statistical category this season after appearing in a career-high 24 matches. Haake ranks third on the team in kills (171), kills per set (2.14) and attacks (510). The junior from Keller, Texas also has career-highs of 56 digs and 22 blocks while matching her career-high in aces with six ... As a team, the Matadors have been out-aced by the margin of 178-81.
