WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL : CS NORTHRIDGE INVITATIONAL : Surging Matadors Gain Revenge With Victory in Final

For the Cal State Northridge women’s volleyball team, revenge was sweet.

The Matadors began the five-team Northridge invitational on Friday intent on avenging a three-game sweep to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in their season opener. Northridge concluded the tournament Saturday night with a 15-8, 10-15, 15-11, 15-5 victory over the Mustangs in the championship match.

The win was the seventh in a row for Northridge (22-7) and the Matadors’ 12th in 13 matches.

“This was a big win for us for a lot of reasons,” said Northridge’s Nancy Nicholls, the tournament most valuable player.

“First of all, they were ranked very high in their regional so a win over them will help us. Secondly, we wanted to show our fans that we were a much better team than we showed the first time we played them, and we need to win all our games left to have a chance at making the playoffs.”

Nicholls, a 6-foot senior middle blocker from Cleveland High, had 15 kills, 13 digs and five assisted blocks, but she was far from being the team’s only standout.

Dawn Krenik had 11 kills, a match-high 24 digs and five total blocks (two solo), and fellow senior outside hitter Shelly Swalec had 10 kills, 15 digs and nine assisted blocks.

Junior setter Alison Wool had 52 assists and a personal-high 12 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Missy Clements came off the bench to knock down a combined total of 10 kills in games three and four.

Northridge took control of the match in the third game by adjusting its blocking.

San Luis Obispo (19-7), the fourth-ranked team in the Northwest region, caught Northridge’s defense off guard several times in the first two games with quick sets, but the Matadors countered in games three and four by calling out their defense as the plays developed.

The Matadors, led by sophomore middle blocker Heather Anderson (11 assisted blocks), had 17 1/2 team blocks, which tied their season high.

It was only fitting that Northridge scored its final two points on consecutive double blocks by Anderson and Swalec.