CSUN VOLLEYBALL DIGS OUT; LU HELPS REVIVE SAGGING PROGRAM AFTER EARTHQUAKE.

Byline: Rizza Yap Daily News Staff Writer

When the Northridge Earthquake hit the same month Lian Lu took over the CSUN women's volleyball program, he knew immediately his team, like the campus, needed extensive rebuilding.

The earthquake's blows did not hurt his program that year, when Lu took the Matadors to their first-ever NCAA Division I National Invitation Volleyball Championship title.

But 1995 was a different story.

That year, the team lost five of six starters, returned just four letter-winners and had just a 2-29 overall record.

``(We had) no good recruits because of the earthquake,'' Lu said. ``Professor Lu,' they said, `your land is shaking, I'd rather not go there.' ''

Then 1996 rolled around, the earthquake became old news, and eight new faces - including two international players - joined the team. By year's end, the Matadors claimed the Big Sky Conference championship with a 16-0 league record.

This year, although Lu does not anticipate a repeat of the perfect conference run, he is especially excited about his newcomers. ``Now our team is on track,'' he said, as he ran down his list of recruits:

Canadian Candice Hayden, one of 1996's top recruits from the Vancouver area, joins Northridge after sitting out her freshman year at Washington State. At 6-foot-3, the sophomore is the tallest on the squad with a reach of up to 10 feet.

Freshman Angie Herrera also adds height to the team at 6-1. A former basketball player in high school, Lu expects her skills in 3-point shooting to enhance her coordination on the volleyball court.

Junior transfer Anne Chatfield is expected to start as middle blocker along with lone returning middle Crystal Newquist. As a freshman at Sacramento City College, Chatfield led her team with 16 solo blocks and registered 148 kills and 32 aces.

Top junior beach volleyball player Kristin Sigel, a true freshman out of Mira Costa High who earned the 1996 Southern Section Division I MVP. She also was a four-time all-conference player and a 1995 All-Southern Section first team pick. Sigel will join returning starters Nancy Ma and Amy Gillis on the outside, a an area that promises to be the Matadors' force.

``Outside hitter position looks, well . . . very strong,'' said Lu, as the three middle fingers of his right hand press together to simulate a solid wall. Before joining the team in 1996, an injured knee kept Ma from volleyball for four years. Then her game blossomed as the year progressed, earning all-conference honors and the Big Sky Tournament MVP. As a sophomore, she also led the 1996 team in defensive saves with a school record 456 digs.

Gillis, a senior who joined the team four years ago as a walk-on, broke the Matadors' single-match record in digs with 44 against Sacramento State in last year's Big Sky Tournament final. On the season, she averaged a team-high 4.07 digs per game.

``There's a lot of competition to be on this team,'' Gillis said. ``We have a lot of new players, and we have great recruits. At this point in time, we're starting at a higher level than last year. Even in practice, there's a lot of competitiveness.''

Midwin, the third and final returning starter, is expected to start opposite the setter. The sophomore was third best in kills and total blocks last year. She also had 73 assists and played in every match.

The Matadors, ranked third in Big Sky preseason polls behind favored Eastern Washington and Sacramento State, open their season on Friday against DePaul at the Blue Demon Fall Invitational in Chicago. Their conference opener is against Idaho State on Sept. 18, and their first home game is on Sept. 21 against conference rival Northern Arizona.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Nancy Ma, the 1996 Big Sky Tournament MVP,is one of Cal State Northridge's fine returning outside hitters.

David Sprague / Daily News