CSUN Gives Price 100th Victory in Upset of Top-Ranked Long Beach

Cal State Northridge men’s volleyball Coach John Price notched his 100th victory Saturday night.

But Price’s milestone paled in comparison to the event itself.

The Matadors swept No. 1-ranked Cal State Long Beach, 15-10, 15-8, 15-8, in front of 2,568 boisterous fans in a Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn. match at Matador Gymnasium.

The crowd played a big part in the Matadors’ motivation.

“That really got our adrenaline pumping,” Price said. “It was so loud in there you couldn’t hear the guy next to you.”

The fourth-ranked Matadors (11-6, 5-2 in the DeGroot Division) were swept by Long Beach in two previous matches, but the third time was a charm.

“I don’t care much about the career mark,” Price said. “I care more about the season mark, finishing first in our division and beating No. 1 Long Beach.”

Long Beach (16-1, 6-1 in the Wilson Division), the defending national champion, was never in the match.

“We were in control the whole time,” Price said. “We never trailed in any of the games. We played as good a match as we could have played.

“If we played them tomorrow, it could go the other way. I don’t think either of us is that much better than the other.”

Ken Lynch, a 6-foot-5 junior middle blocker, recorded a match-high 26 kills, 10 digs and five blocks. Junior outside hitter Axel Hagar finished with 24 kills and Coley Kyman added 21.

Junior setter Matt Unger of Northridge had a match-high 72 assists.

Long Beach did not hit well, finishing with a kill percentage of only .255. Northridge had a kill percentage of .427.