Roundup : Riverside Rolls Over CSUN in Volleyball

The Cal State Northridge women’s volleyball team is finding the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. to be much less hospitable this season than it was a year ago.

The Lady Matadors lost just one conference match a season ago in advancing to the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Division II tournament. But Friday they closed their first week of conference play 0-2 after a 15-5, 15-13, 8-15, 15-8 loss to UC Riverside in Riverside.

Northridge, seventh in the country in the latest Division II poll--three places lower than it was listed in the previous rankings--lost to Cal State Bakersfield in three games Tuesday. After Friday’s loss to Riverside, the nation’s top-ranked team, the Lady Matadors are 10-5, 0-2 in CCAA play.

Riverside is 14-3, 2-0.

CSUN played with three freshmen and was unable to stop Sheri Benson, Riverside’s All-American outside hitter, from notching 19 kills.

Senior Keira Middleton and junior All-American Kathleen Dixon led the Lady Matadors. Middleton finished with 11 kills, one more than Dixon.

On Tuesday, Northridge will makes its third try for its first conference win in a match at home against Cal State Dominguez Hills.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Occidental 2, Redlands 1--Jenny Lawrence put Occidental (2-7-1, 2-2 in conference play) ahead to stay with two first-half goals in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match at Redlands.

Laronda Smith scored for Redlands in the second half.

Moorpark 3, Palomar 0--Kristin Mealiffe scored two goals and goalie Rusty Stevens posted her second shutout in a South Coast Conference match at Moorpark.

Carol Myszkowsky added a goal for Moorpark (8-1-1, 2-1-1).