The Warriors come into this match tonight looking for a bounce-back, after a disappointing performance and result Friday night against these same Cal-State Northridge Matadors. In a post match interview on Friday, Taylor Averill lamented that with JP Marks out (he wasn’t even in the arena), the team lacked their usual cohesion and chemistry. Marks returns to play tonight. This is kind of an interesting match for the Warriors, as to put themselves in good position for the MPSF playoffs they really do need to come away with a win here.
I covered the Matadors a little the other night, but now to address them a bit more specifically. Their big scoring threats are senior outside hitter John Baker, and relatively diminutive junior outside Brandon Lebrock. CSUN, in something of an oddity, have three sophomore setters on their roster, giving the starting mantle to Travis Magorien, possibly because of his superlative serving abilities. Magorien, as mentioned the other night, played with a sports hernia, but also a knee injury. 6-foot-8 senior middle blocker Jared Moore is a big presence for the Matadors on the front line. For as much as Hawaii are a youth movement, with libero Matthew Cheape the only senior on the whole roster (regular playing time or not), CSUN are a bit more all-in for 2013, as Baker, Moore, and Drew Staker, another middle who sees significant playing time, all will move on after this season.
The Matadors seized control of the set early, running out quickly to a 6-1 advantage on Sam Holt‘s serve, accentuated by a Brandon Lebrock kill off the touch. It prompted a very quick timeout from Hawaii. CSUN continued the run after the timeout with an impressive solo block up the middle from Jared Moore, rejecting Averill on a 1-1. That’s always big. Hawaii got the sideout on a Matador service error, and got a mini-run of their own on Brook Sedore‘s serve to close back to 7-4. Sedore’s next serve landed just wide, but so too did Moore’s on the next ball for CSUN. Hawaii then ran off two more on Marks’ serve, with an ace and a big kill for Siki Zarkovic, to close to 8-7 at CSUN’s timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, Joby Ramos came up with a dump shot from the middle, which is always impressive considering how short he is (well…he’d tower over me, but that doesn’t count 😛 ). When Marks followed it up with another ace, CSUN called their second and final timeout — very early indeed, at 9-8. The run continued after this timeout, with Averill and Ramos coming up with a left-side double block to put the Warriors up two. The rally ending 12-11 was a very strange one. A CSUN block attempt wound up rebounding off one of their front-row players, and for a moment no one seemed to know where the ball was. It came back down off the player’s head (didn’t catch who it was) and the rally continued. It ended with Ramos seemingly trying to do a dump on his own side of the court. Or something. It was very strange. Probably just an odd set choice. Hawaii reached 15 first, at 15-12, as Averill rejected a roll shot attempt. It would have been a media timeout, except that three charged timeouts had already been taken. So the broadcast just stayed put. You kinda figure they could just keep playing in that case, but whatever.
On Davis Holt’s serve for UH, Sam Holt (no relation) sided the Matadors out with a left-side crosscourt kill. A wide hit by Marks drew CSUN within two again, and it was sideout after sideout again for a while thereafter. Hawaii went back up three at 18-15 with Zarkovic coming up with the solo roof against Baker — and strangely this was the one time he didn’t come up with swagger. Lebrock’s roll shot on 18-15 went long to put Hawaii up four. At 19-16, CSUN’s best server Magorien rotated to the service line, and let loose a good one forcing Ramos into a desperate, low set for Zarkovic that got returned to sender. His next serve resulted in an easy overpass and kill for Staker. Hawaii called their final timeout there, still leading 19-18.
Zarkovic got the Warriors the sideout on the next point after the timeout. CSUN reacted like the ball was long, but the flagger ruled it in to preserve Hawaii’s slender lead. A kill for Staker and a long hit by Sedore brought it even again at 20, though, setting up a race to 5. Staker’s ace put CSUN up 22-21, at which point Hawaii inserted second libero Kolby Kanetake in favor of Matthew Cheape. The last few matches, Harrison Phelps had been the second libero, but it was Kanetake again tonight. And then a block party broke out, as Kyle Stevenson, Jared Moore, and John Baker brought the Matadors to set point at 24-21 with back-to-back triple blocks. Zarkovic staved off one, but CSUN converted the second with a kll from Stevenson to win the set 25-22. Pretty strong turnaround, having been down 20-18.
The teams traded little mini-runs to start the 2nd. At 4-2 Hawaii, Timmer came up with a nice serve that got CSUN out of system, but the Hawaii triple block landed out. The Matador run continued, and on the rally ending 6-4 Baker came up with an amazing athletic pancake dig, leading to a kill for Stevenson. Averill sided the Warriors out at 6-5 after they ran a pretty picture perfect middle attack. The next rally was very long, with some great defense and effort on both sides, and the Matadors at last gaining the point as Averill and Zarkovic’s block attempt landed out. There was another very long rally on 7-6. It looked like the Matadors had an easy kill at the end, only for Marks to go after the ball on the sideline, 10 feet off the court. He very nearly legally returned the ball to Hawaii’s side, but it was called inside the antenna. Replays showed the call to be close, but correct.
The set proceeded sideout after sideout for a while after that. CSUN next one on serve to get to the media timeout, with a ball handling error called on Ramos. CSUN led 15-12. The run continued after the timeout, extending to a 5 point advantage for CSUN with just an awkward ball played by Ramos, landing wide. That prompted Hawaii to sub in Max Wechsung at setter. The Warriors got the sideout with a service ace, but another overpass got CSUN an easy ball to maintain their 5-point edge. Hawaii took the set’s first charged timeout at 20-14, as in a blink what was once a tight set had suddenly turned into a blowout.
But Hawaii were not content to be blown out, gaining the sideout at 20-15 to rotate Marks to service line. He came up with an ace against CSUN libero Charlie Condron, and then got the Matadors out of system on his next to draw to 20-17 and CSUN’s timeout. It was another great serve after the timeout, and it looked like CSUN were going to have trouble setting their offense, but Davis Holt bailed them out with a net violation. With Baker’s serve on 21-17 flying well long, Hawaii turned to Timmer at 21-18 — the New Zealander having not started set 2. He came up with a good serve, leading to a double-block for Averill and Zarkovic, that in fact rebounded off Averill’s face. The next point was a triple-block that got the Averill finger-wag, prompting the Matadors’ last timeout at 21-20. What was I saying about a blowout?
Timmer’s serve coming back from the timeout hit the top of the tape, and rebounded back in on Hawaii’s side. Game of inches sometimes. Hawaii go tthe sideout on the next ball with Zarkovic getting the kill off CSUN’s other libero Nick Alegrado. Sedore got the kill on the next ball to draw even at 22’s, but his subsequent serve went well wide and long. 23-22 was a great rally, with Baker running down a ball well long to keep it alive. It resulted in an easy overpass for Wechsung, but the setter was digged. Somehow Hawaii still managed to get the point. 23-all was a bizarre rally, as CSUN gained set point seemingly by accident, as they were blocked and the hitter reflexively hit the ball as it came back down on him. It rebounded back over the net, and Hawaii weren’t able to field it cleanly. The ball went wide, but Sedore very nearly tracked it down, leaping over the scorer’s table to try to get to it. A for Effort, but it fell to put CSUN up 24-23. That prompted Hawaii’s final timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, Marks staved off set point with a massively powerful swing straight down. If dude wasn’t 100 percent, he could have fooled me. Hawaii got their first chance at set point with an attack error by Staker, and it was again Marks who came up with the answer. After CSUN’s pass was dodgy, leading to a pretty weak hit on their side, Marks sent the teams to intermission with a left-side kill off the block and out. 26-24 Hawaii in the second.
CSUN gained the early advantage in set 3 at 5-2, following a ridiculously long rally on 2-all where the Matadors managed to redeem their libero from playing a ball that was going long. That followed with a block against Averill and an absurdly long hit by Zarkovic. At 6-3, Staker’s serve hit the top of the net and got the lucky roll to go over for an ace. Marks’ swing on the next ball went very, very long to put CSUN up five at 8-3, prompting Hawaii’s timeout. But the Warriors responded after the timeout with three straight themselves to close to within two at CSUN’s timeout, the last a big kill from the middle by Nick West after a Matador overpass.
The run continued after the timeout with Averill coming up with a let-serve ace, much like Staker’s earlier in the set, to close to 8-7. Baker got the Matadors the sideout from the right side on the next ball. CSUN ran back out to 11-8, but West proved to be quite a spark plug, coming up with a kill on the middle attack at 11-9 and then a solo block to make it a 1-point set again at 11-10. Howard Dashefsky noted that West had been pretty animated on the bench in previous sets, trying to provide the team some energy even when not in the match. A real team player. CSUN ran out again to 14-11 and got to the media timeout at 15-12. It was a missed opportunity for the Warriors as Sedore’s serve definitely disrupted the Matadors’ offense, but Hawaii weren’t able to put the ball away and Stevenson wound up beating the triple block for the kill.
On the first point back, Sedore appeared to have the kill and the sideout for Hawaii, but the ruling was changed by the up referee (on the opposite side of the court) to make it 16-12 CSUN. Zarkovic got the point back on the next rally, still trailing by three. The lead for CSUN extended to five at 19-14 with a wide hit from Marks, putting the Warriors in pretty much the same position they were late in set 2 before coming back to win. But there was to be no comeback this time. CSUN extended to six points ahead at 22-16, at Hawaii’s last timeout, and finished it off 25-19.
Ramos and Timmer were back into the starting lineup in set 4 for Hawaii. The Matadors took the early advantage at 4-2, but Hawaii drew even with West (in for Timmer, with plans surely to bring Timmer back in to serve at a strategic time) on the middle attack at 6-6. It was West’s fourth kill in four swings. CSUN edged ahead again 9-6, with two consecutive attack errors for Marks, who was starting to look a little gassed. Harrison Phelps entered the match in his stead. Going to Phelps rather than Jace Olsen seems to be a pretty big vote of no-confidence for the latter, though I can’t say it would be undeserved.
The CSUN run extended to 10-6, and Hawaii called time. It extended further to 11-6 before Hawaii finally got the sideout. Following a Sedore hitting error to extend CSUN to a 13-8 lead, Marks rotated back in. He went to the service line at 13-9 and got one on serve. The 13-10 rally was another missed opportunity for the Warriors, as Marks nearly aced the CSUN back row, only to have the ball come back and go long on the Hawaii side. Kanetake frantically ran after it, and with a one-handed jab he kept the ball alive. It was for naught, though, as Staker came up with the kill for CSUN. The media timeout came with the Matadors leading 15-10.
The picture got no better for Hawaii after the timeout. On Lebrock’s serve, the Matadors ran out to 18-11, with a triple block on the Warrior side landing out, and then a Siki Zarkovic hit landing well wide. As he came back up, Zarkovic appeared to be complaining to the up referee of trash talk from the CSUN side. I’m not sure Siki should be the one to make that complaint, if indeed anyone should. And then the Matadors really ran away with it. With two blocks after the timeout, CSUN took their largest lead of the night at 20-11. Match point gave them an even bigger edge.
#8 Cal State Northridge d. #11 Hawaii (25-22, 24-26, 25-19, 25-15)
Well that sure did get out of hand in a hurry.
Marks ended his night at 7/6/20 for a decidedly meager .050, but the team was better having him out there. Sort of ran out of gas as the match went on, though, as did the whole team. Sedore, Zarkovic, and Marks combined for 24 attack errors, which is just too many. As Coach Wade pointed out after the match, the defense was pretty lacking too. Matthew Cheape, who looked so great earlier in the year (to the point that I figured he could be in line for All-American consideration) has been struggling quite a bit in recent matches. Kolby Kanetake provided a bit of a pick-up, but few of his digs wound up in good offensive attempts for the Warriors. But I look for him to get more playing time going forward.
Staker was the big star for CSUN, coming up with 8 kills on .583 hitting and 7 blocks. Baker just missed a double-double, getting 15 kills and 9 digs. But blocks and total errors were a big story of the match. Hawaii committed 29 attacking errors, to 15 blocks for CSUN. 15 blocks is a pretty good total for 4 sets, but it also means there were 14 unforced errors, which is just not something you can do and expect to win. By contrast, CSUN had 15 hitting errors to 9 Hawaii blocks, for just 6 unforced errors.
It’s a disappointing result. A month ago, Hawaii looked like they were coming up aces, but they’ve now lost five out of six matches. It just seemed like there was a little too much throwing it all at the wall and seeing what stuck. Ramos and Wechsung couldn’t be more different as setters, so I don’t know if you can really get away with going back and forth between the two. True, you’ve got to find the winning combination, but you can also make the winning combination. It just feels like this team should be better than 5-12. Next week they have another Friday/Sunday double shot with USC. Just one match for Northridge this coming week, Friday night drawing UCSD at home.
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