UCLA Breezes Past CSUN in Women’s Volleyball

Someday down the road, a match between the UCLA and Cal State Northridge women’s volleyball teams might have a significant impact on the national rankings and even the playoffs.

Someday.

For now, the “over-the-hill rivalry” will have to settle for what it was Tuesday night: a tuneup for the defending NCAA champion Bruins and a learning experience for the second-year Division I Matadors.

In a regular-season finale, fifth-ranked UCLA cruised to a 15-6, 15-8, 15-6 nonconference victory in front of 523 fans at Matador Gym.

What was it like for Northridge to hit against a UCLA front line headed by All-American outside hitter Natalie Williams? “I felt like a Smurf out there compared to them,” said Northridge 5-foot-11 freshman Missy Clements. “They’re huge.”

Actually, it wasn’t as bad as it sounds. UCLA (26-5) simply hit at a .360 clip on the night while limiting Northridge (13-17) to a .104 hitting percentage.

Williams, a powerful 6-foot-1 left-hander, led all players with 18 kills. Teammate Elaine Youngs, a 6-0 All-American two years ago who sat out last season with a knee injury, added 17 kills and 10 digs.

But the player who gave Northridge its biggest problems at the net was 6-1 middle blocker Marissa Hatchett, who totaled 13 kills and a match-high 11 blocks.

“(Hatchett) was a big factor in us winning the championship last season,” said UCLA Coach Andy Banachowski, whose team is awaiting Sunday’s NCAA tournament pairings. “We’re a bigger, more experienced team (than CSUN). We should be able to dominate the net.”

Northridge, which is seeking a bid to the National Invitational volleyball championships (pairings also announced Sunday), played UCLA tough at times during the match. But the Matadors also committed 12 service errors to open the door for UCLA scoring runs.

CSUN was led by junior Nancy Nicholls, who finished with 11 kills in 19 attempts and also added a team-high nine digs.

Clements contributed eight kills in 14 attempts, outside hitter Dawn Krenik had six kills and five digs, and setter Alison Wool added seven digs and 24 set assists for the Matadors.

In the first game, UCLA went on a swift 10-1 run to erase a 5-5 tie. CSUN overcame a 6-0 deficit in the second game to close to within 7-6 before Williams and company took to the offensive again.

The Bruins did it a final time in the third game with an 8-0 run to break open a short-lived 3-3 tie.