CSUN Founders, Saves Victory Over Pepperdine : Volleyball: Matadors drop first game, recover to take next three from the Waves.

John Price doesn’t refer to his Cal State Northridge volleyball team as schizo for nothing. One minute the Matadors are going through the motions in a lethargic manner and the next they’re a pumped-up group that fires up the crowd with spectacular plays.

On Wednesday, both personalities of the inconsistent team showed up during an 11-15, 15-11, 15-12, 16-14 victory over Pepperdine in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match at Matador Gym.

With the victory, the ninth-ranked Matadors (15-7, 11-5 in MPSF play) clinched a playoff spot and eliminated the chances of 10th-ranked Pepperdine (7-11, 10-11) advancing to postseason play.

Pepperdine’s team mascot is the Waves, but it was the Matadors’ good play that came in waves and suddenly disappeared like the tide. Northridge could not hold leads and allowed Pepperdine to come back.

“Ask anybody and no one knows why we have to wait till it’s 14-12 to turn up the heat,” Northridge setter Travis Ferguson said. “It happens all the time. That’s the only time the adrenaline kicks in. Why we can’t play intense all the time, no one knows.”

The teams tied, 8-8, in the first game before Pepperdine broke away with six consecutivepoints. The Matadors practically stood and watched while Pepperdine sealed the game.

The Waves jumped to a 5-1 lead in the second game, but Northridge tied it at 5-5, then took a small lead before the teams tied on two other occasions. At 11-11, the Matadors went on a four-point run.

Northridge started the third game with a 5-1 lead that evaporated quickly. The Waves tied it twice before the Matadors finally went on a seven-point run that gave them a 14-7 edge. Pepperdine fought back with five straight points before losing.

It was vintage Matadors in the final game. Northridge held a 10-3 lead, then practically fell asleep while Pepperdine worked its way back. The Waves tied it, 12-12, then took a 14-12 lead. Northridge managed to hold off seven game points before Ferguson served an ace on match point.

“That last game was an absolute mirror of our season,” Price said. “I think we relaxed and started making errors. We play better when the pressure is on and it’s really frustrating that it’s come to that.”

Junior outside hitter Chris Gil led Northridge with 31 kills and senior middle blocker Jon Baer had 25. Sophomore hitter Collin Smith had 19 kills and freshman Chad Strickland, in only his second start, had 17 kills and a career-high 21 digs.

The Matadors play at top-ranked UCLA Friday.