CSUN Advances to Volleyball Final : ‘Home’ Crowd Spurs Lady Matadors to Victory Over Ferris State

The brick-encased gym at Nebraska-Omaha, site of the NCAA Division II women’s volleyball championships, took on a distinctive Cal State Northridge flavor Friday night.

First, the Lady Matadors hung red and black signs from the rafters of the cavernous structure, only slightly smaller than a Boeing 747 hangar.

Then, top-ranked Northridge defeated No. 6 Ferris State, 15-4, 11-15, 15-4, 15-3, before a small but boisterous contingent of CSUN fans, and moved to a match this evening for the national title.

Northridge (34-7) will play Central-Missouri State, a 6-15, 15-8, 15-9, 15-8 winner over Nebraska-Omaha in Friday’s other semifinal match.

The CSUN-Central-Missouri State match is a repeat of a meeting between the teams in November, when Northridge defeated the Jennies in four games in the final of the Premier tournament in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“If we play well, that will be the key to our success,” CSUN Coach Walt Ker said.

Central-Missouri State Coach Peggy Martin is anxious to see the Jennies (42-3, ranked second in the nation) win their first national championship.

“We know Northridge has the advantage by being the top team in the tournament,” Martin said. “They’re strong and they don’t have a weakness on the court.”

Against Ferris State (40-8), CSUN was pressured in the second meeting between the teams. Northridge swept the Bulldogs in three games at the same tournament in Colorado Springs in which the Lady Matadors defeated Central-Missouri State.

Ferris State rallied to win the second game and tie Friday’s semifinal match, but the CSUN defense went to work and held the Bulldogs to just seven points in the final two games.

“Northridge played really well,” Ferris State Coach Jill Hirschinger said. “We played well in spurts and at other times we didn’t do anything right.”

Hirschinger singled out the play of two-time All-Americans Angela Brinton and Sue Darcey for making the difference for CSUN. Brinton had 47 assists and Darcey a match-high 21 kills.

“Darcey was unstoppable tonight,” Hirschinger said. “No matter where we set our blockers, we couldn’t stop her.”

Ker said the low game scores did not reflect Ferris State’s intense play.

“Ferris is a really good team and the level of volleyball tonight was very high,” Ker said. “When you beat a team as strong as Ferris, you’ve got to be happy, and I really am.”

CSUN will vie for its second national championship in five years tonight. Northridge has finished as runner-up in four of the past five years, including the past three, and won national championships in 1983 and 1980.

The Lady Matadors will not be the crowd favorite tonight. Nebraska-Omaha (34-6), the host team, plays Ferris State for third place.

The third-ranked Lady Mavs won the first game Friday before losing for the fourth time this season to Central-Missouri State.