No. 7 Cougars Defeat Cal State Northridge, 3-0

PROVO -- The seventh-ranked BYU men's volleyball team (6-1, 3-1) picked up its 33rd straight win in the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday, defeating MPSF foe Cal State Northridge, 15-11, 15-12, 15-5. The win marked the seventh straight victory over the Matadors, including a fifth straight 3-0 win, dating back to Jan. 30, 1998.

The Cougars hit a blistering .419 at the net, including 63 kills on 105 attempts, while the BYU defense held CSUN to just over 12 percent at the net. The Cougars had three players in double figures, including Mike Wall who picked up a team-leading 14 kills. Joaquin Acosta and Scott Bunker each had 10 kills, marking the seventh straight match of the season for Acosta with double-digits at the net. Coming off a 15-block performance against Hawai'i, junior Matt Olsen added a match-high 13 blocks to his total, while Chris Pitzak collected 10 blocks for the Cougars and eclipsed the 2,300 assist mark in his career with a match-high 52 assists on the night. Overall, BYU outblocked Cal State Northridge, 44-8.

"It's always better to win than lose," BYU head coach Carl McGown said. "Overall, we're not real happy with our performance tonight. We got off to a nice start in the first game with our blocking clinic, but didn't do a whole lot after that. Hopefully we can come out with a little more intensity tomorrow night and execute the way we are capable of."

In game one, BYU had things well in hand with a 12-2 lead. The Cougars were dominating the block and forced the Matadors to commit over 12 errors. However, Cal State Northridge went on a 8-1 run to close the Cougar lead to 13-10. Senior Casey Jennings kept the Cougars alive with a couple key kills before the Matadors gave BYU the win with one of their 14 hitting errors in the game.

Game two momentum favored Cal State Northridge as the Matadors forced the Cougars to a 10-10 tie. A couple CSUN hitting errors gave BYU a 14-10 lead before the Matadors fought back to 14-12. Pitzak ended the game on one of his three kills in game two.

In the final game of the match, the Matadors committed 15 hitting errors that lead to nine of the Cougars' first 13 points of the game. Bunker and Mike Wall teamed to block a Matador attempt, giving BYU a 14-3 before Cal State Northridge added two points. Moments later, Walls collected his 14th kill to end the match, 15-5.

BYU will take on the Matadors (1-2, 0-2) again tomorrow night, Saturday, Jan. 29, in the Smith Fieldhouse. Match time is slated for 7 p.m. (MST).

Short Box Score (Final)
    Cal State Northridge vs Brigham Young (Jan 28, 2000 at Provo, Utah)
  Brigham Young def. Cal State Northridge 15-11,15-12,15-5
  Cal State Northridge (1-2, 0-2) (Kills-aces-blocks) - MOSONES, Junior
15-2-1; WALTER, Eckhard 12-0-2; TOON, Jeff 10-0-3; BLACK, Adam 10-0-0;
RIZZO, Dan 6-0-2; BAXTER, John 2-0-0; Totals 55-2-5.0. (Assists) -
BAXTER, John 33; TRAMBLIE, Ty 18. (Dig leaders) - LUFRANO, Pat 8;
RIZZO, Dan 5
  Brigham Young (6-1, 3-1) (Kills-aces-blocks) - WALL, Mike 14-0-3;
BUNKER, Scott 10-2-8; ACOSTA, Joaquin 10-0-5; JENNINGS, Casey 7-0-2;
OLSEN, Matt 7-0-13; MAYOL, Jaime 6-0-2; PITZAK, Chris 3-0-10;
VANTASSELL, Cameron 3-0-1; ROBINSON, Zachary 2-0-0; GOLDSTON, Brad
1-0-0; Totals 63-2-22.5. (Assists) - PITZAK, Chris 52. (Dig leaders) -
WALL, Mike 6; ACOSTA, Joaquin 4
  Site: Provo, Utah (Smith Fieldhouse)
  Date: Jan 28, 2000   Attend: 2465   Time: 1:45
  Referees: Tom Given, Les Calles, JDM;MA;RG;ST;EK;DJM
  BYU wins 33rd straight match in Smith Fieldhouse