Nemesis UCLA Ends Northridge’s Volleyball Season

It wasn’t so long ago that matches between UCLA and Cal State Northridge in men’s volleyball were completed within the time frame of a trashy hour-long evening soap opera. The Bruins were among the elite. The Matadors were strictly working class.

John Price, in his sixth year as Northridge coach, remembers those days even though he considers them gone for good. But even a glimpse back to the Matadors’ humble days of the past didn’t help him accept the result of Thursday night’s Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn. tournament semifinal match against the Bruins at UC Irvine’s Bren Center.

“I expected to win and I’m disappointed we didn’t,” Price said after UCLA defeated Northridge, 15-11, 13-15, 15-3, 16-14, in 2 hours 10 minutes. “Right now, there’s nothing to feel good about.”

In particular was a call that Northridge players will undoubtably replay in their minds for some time. With the score tied, 14-14, in the fourth game, Matador hitter Ken Lynch hit a cross-court shot that was called in by one official but out by another.

The out call stood.

Coley Kyman hit wide on the next play and the Matadors’ season was over. UCLA, which has defeated Northridge in 20 of 21 matches, will meet Cal State Long Beach on Saturday for the tournament championship and for a likely at-large berth to the NCAA final four in Honolulu, May 3-4.

Billy Ferguson, the linesman who called Lynch’s shot in, said: “Of all the controversial calls I made, I was most sure of that one.”

All of which was of little comfort to Northridge players and coaches who questioned why referee Ken Taylor overruled Ferguson.

“On that type of hit, he has to let the linesman call it,” CSUN’s Raphael Tulino said. “He’s there to make that call and he did. He had the better angle.”

Said Price: “I’ve always said that bad calls don’t lose matches, but I think we’d still be playing if the right call was made. We had all the momentum at that point.”

After taking a 5-1 lead early in the fourth game, Northridge (22-7) saw UCLA (16-8) score 10 of the next 12 points to lead, 11-7. Service aces by Lynch and Mark Root together with kills by Neil Coffman and Tulino helped the Matadors tie the score, 11-11.

The teams traded points before a kill by Coffman and a service ace by Tulino put Northridge ahead, 14-12, for game point.

Back-to-back kills by Carl Henkel made it a one-point game and the Bruins’ Mike Whitcomb tied the score, 14-14, with a left-handed tip between Matadors. After a trade of side outs, Lynch attempted his cross-court shot from the right side.

“I thought it was in,” said Kyman who shared match-high honors with Coffman with 23 kills. “But we should have beat them earlier. We had them down and let them back in it. That call shouldn’t have made a difference, even though it was crucial.”

Early on, it was UCLA that let Northridge rebound. After winning the first game, the Bruins had a 10-5 advantage in the second game when the tide turned. Matt Unger, the Matadors’ fiery setter, ignited the rally by making an over-the-shoulder save of an errant pass while diving into the scorers’ table. The effort seemed to wear off on his teammates. After UCLA went ahead, 11-5, Northridge scored 10 of the next 12 points to win.