Gimpy Kyman Helps CSUN Hobble Loyola : College volleyball: His switch to the middle in mid-match keys Matadors’ win.

Coley Kyman woke up Thursday morning with his left knee aching so much it was a task to simply navigate the stairs outside his apartment on his way to school.

At first, Kyman said he wasn’t sure if he was going to make it.

But there was never a doubt he would later show up--and play--for the Cal State Northridge men’s volleyball team in its Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match against Loyola Marymount.

“Coley is always hurt,” Northridge Coach John Price said. “But he always plays, and he’s always good.”

Kyman accounted for a team-high 25 kills and also contributed eight digs and eight blocks to lead Northridge to a 15-6, 5-15, 15-7, 15-10 win over the Lions at Gersten Pavilion.

Kyman split time at outside hitter and middle blocker, giving Loyola fits from both positions. With Ken Lynch, the Matadors’ star outside hitter, resting a stiff back, Kyman started the match playing on the perimeter.

He stayed there for only as long as it took Price to figure out it was easier for the Lions to track Kyman when he was attacking from the side.

So, after Loyola rallied for a 15-5 win in the second game, Kyman was dispatched to his old post in the middle.

Kyman’s move into the center thrust Chris Gil, a redshirt freshman, into the limelight.

Gil, who had been considered a not-yet-ready-for-prime-time-player, took Lynch’s old post, Kyman replaced Jamal Thompson and the Matadors (17-9, 11-6 in the MPSF) seemed to find a higher gear.

“Coley is a great middle blocker and when he gets in there and starts moving around, it helps us a lot,” said Gil, who responded well himself with 10 kills and by hitting 44.4% in the final two games.

Kyman said moving at all was difficult.

“My left knee feels just like my right one did before surgery,” he said after the match. Kyman, an All-American, had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and was out of action for two weeks near the start of the season.

Northridge will play in the MPSF tournament in less than two weeks and Kyman said he isn’t “sitting for anything.”

The Matadors rely on his offense, but they need his defense even more. With his block away from the middle, a much smaller Loyola team hit 36.2% in winning the second game.

Particularly effective in the early going was Craig Adamoli, who is 5-foot-10. But in the final two games, Adamoli and the Lions were far less effective. In the final game, Adamoli was stuffed three times by a single Matador blocker.

Loyola, which fell to 5-16, 4-13 in the conference, was led by Jason McEntee, who had a personal- and match-high 31 kills.