NORTHRIDGE, Calif. -- Seeking a win amidst their two-match losing streak, the second-ranked BYU men's volleyball team fell short against unranked Cal State Northridge in three sets (25-23, 25-21, 29-27) on the road, Friday.

Junior Robb Stowell and freshman Taylor Sander led all players with 17 kills apiece with Stowell hitting an impressive .407 on the night. Futi Tavana finished with eight kills on 11 attempts and two blocks.

The Cougars lead the MPSF in team blocks and were able to outblock the Matadors 7.5 to 3.0 in the three sets but, unfortunately, it wasn't enough to end their losing streak.

In set one BYU started the set up 6-3 but the Matadors came back to tie with kills from Tanner Nua, Brandon Lebrock and a block from Matt Stork. CSUN and BYU kept the set close for the remainder of the set but the Matadors pulled out the close 25-23 win.

Set two was a similar scene with the Cougars taking a one-point early lead but the Matadors rallied a 6-0 run for the 25-21 set victory.

In the third, the Matadors were the ones who took the early lead and held it for the majority of the set. BYU's Sander gave the Cougars a 25-24 advantage at the end of the set but Nua's kill for the Matadors tied the score at 25 on their way to a 29-27 set win and match victory.

BYU setter Ryan Boyce started his third consecutive match against the Matadors, recording 22 assists with teammate setter Joe Kauliakamoa finishing with 23. Middle blocker Quentin Smith recorded a season-high two blocks and his first ace of the season in the evening's matchup.

Both teams will meet again tomorrow, March 19, at 7 p.m. on the same court.

After a weekend off, the second-ranked BYU men's volleyball team will pick back up right where they left off on the road in California when they take on Cal State Northridge this Friday and Saturday, March 18 and 19, at 7 p.m. PT.

The Cougars are traveling with a 13-6 overall record and 9-5 holding in league play. Junior Robb Stowell leads the BYU attack on 271 kills and an overall .324 attacking percentage.

Taylor Sander, Alex DaPron and Futi Tavana are also recording double-digit kills with 216, 117 and 144, respectively, while Tavana is currently the only BYU player to have recorded over 102 blocks this season.

Setter Joe Kauliakamoa has recorded 535 assists this season as he paces the Cougar offense, averaging 9.91 per set. Setter Ryan Boyce got his first back-to-back starts in both matches against USC last weekend totaling 76 assists and now averages 3.62 assists per set.

The Matadors won their first match of their last five over Harvard last weekend and will host BYU with a 5-15 overall and 3-10 conference record. Tanner Nua, Brandon Lebrock, Drew Staker and Greg Faulkner are all recording double-figure kills with 122, 129, 133 and 100 respectively.

BYU leads the overall record against the Matadors 26-9 and are 10-5 all-time on the road against CSUN.

Gametracker is available for both games through the BYU men's volleyball schedule page.