CSUN Bids for 5th Straight CCAA Title

Bolstered by his team’s No. 12 ranking in the NCAA Division II women’s volleyball poll, Cal State Bakersfield Coach Dave Rubio said he expects his squad to be competitive with every California Collegiate Athletic Assn. team--except Cal State Northridge.

Rubio, a former player and assistant for CSUN Coach Walt Ker, predicts the Lady Matadors will win their fifth straight CCAA championship.

“Right now, Northridge is way above everybody else,” said Rubio, whose team plays host to CSUN tonight in the conference opener. “Nobody is close to them.”

The Lady Matadors, ranked third in Division II, are 11-4 and coming off back-to-back tournament victories at Portland State and Cal State Dominguez Hills.

“It’s unfortunate to open with Northridge, but we have to face them sooner or later,” Rubio said.

Under Rubio, Ker expects Bakersfield (6-5) to improve on its 1-11 conference record and last-place finish of last season.

Ker also expects to have difficult matches against defending national champion UC Riverside, Chapman and Cal Poly Pomona but remains confident that Northridge will defend its CCAA title.

“Northridge has to be considered the favorite in the CCAA by virtue of its preseason record and how many girls are returning from last year,” Ker said.

CSUN hasn’t lost a CCAA match in two seasons and has compiled a 47-1 conference record over the past four years. The Lady Matadors have finished second in three consecutive national championship matches.

Northridge has four returning starters, including All-American Angela Brinton, Anna Garcia, Franci Bowman and team captain Sue Darcey.

The Lady Matadors play host to Riverside on Tuesday in their conference home opener.

Two-time All-American Melanie Jones is Riverside’s only returning full-time starter. Senior Ann Maeva and junior Katie Moser, who shared starting assignments last year, are the other returning players on a team that includes nine freshmen.