FALL HIGHLIGHTS : Northridge Finishes 3rd in Volleyball

The Cal State Northridge women’s volleyball team finished third in the UC Davis tournament Saturday, the highest finish of any Division II squad in the 32-team tournament.

Wisconsin defeated Northridge, 13-15, 15-10, 17-15, in the semifinal match after the Lady Matadors had advanced by defeating Hawaii-Hilo, 8-15, 15-13, 16-14.

“I was really pleased,” Northridge Coach Walt Ker said. “We gained a tremendous amount of experience this weekend. We played some weaker teams and had no mental letdowns.”

Northridge advanced to the quarterfinals by placing first in its seven-team pool. The Lady Matadors won 11 of 12 games Friday and Saturday leading to their quarterfinal match.

COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL

Master’s def. Occidental, 15-10, 15-3, 15-9--Michelle Carter had eight kills and Michelle Rowell had six kills and five aces for Master’s in the nonconference match at Occidental. Master’s is 3-0. Occidental fell to 2-2.

COLLEGE SOCCER

Cal State Northridge 3, Master’s 1--Joey Kirk scored two goals and Alberto Florez added a goal and an assist in a nonconference match at North Campus Stadium.

Northridge (4-0) broke a 1-1 halftime tie 34 seconds into the second half when Kirk scored his sixth goal of the season on assists from Florez and Mark Zarkowski.

BOYS CROSS-COUNTRY

Mike Esparza of Newbury Park High rolled to his second straight victory at the Woodbridge Invitational in Irvine on Saturday.

Esparza, who placed third in the Southern Section 4-A championships as a sophomore last season, won the juniors race of the Large Schools Division in 15 minutes, 19 seconds.

BOYS WATER POLO

Lakewood 8, Crespi 7--John Casey scored the winning goal with 1:15 remaining as Lakewood (1-1) held off a strong Crespi rally in the second round of the Bell Gardens tournament.