NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - After a successful first season in the Big West Conference, CSUNÂ men's volleyball announced its 2019 schedule Friday as the Matadors will take a second run at the conference crown in 2019.
The Matadors will play 14 non-conference matches, including the annual UCSB Asics Invitational in January, before opening their second Big West campaign Mar. 1 at Long Beach State.
"We've got a really tough schedule this season," said CSUN Head Coach Jeff Campbell who will open his 22nd season on Jan. 3. "We're playing some great teams in the early part of the season and have a really tough home schedule this year."
The Matadors open the 2019 season Jan. 3 as CSUN will make its 16th consecutive appearance in the UCSB Asics Invitational. The Matadors open the tournament against Concordia before taking on Harvard (Jan. 4) and Grand Canyon (Jan. 5).
CSUN returns to the Valley to take on UCLA in its 2019 home opener on Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. The two-match homestand to kick off the home schedule also includes UC Merced on Jan. 11 before the Matadors head to Indiana for two matches. CSUN takes on Fort Wayne on Jan. 18 and Ball State on Jan. 19.
Senior Dimitar Kalchev anchors
the Matador lineup in 2019
After traveling to Illinois in 2018, the Matadors will get return visits by both Loyola-Chicago and Lewis this season. The Ramblers and Matadors will tangle in The Matadome on Jan, 25, the first trip to The Matadome by Loyola-Chicago since 2012. CSUN and Lewis will meet for the sixth in Northridge on Jan. 26. The month of January closes with a Jan. 30 match in Malibu as the Matadors and Pepperdine renew their rivalry which dates back to 1978.
In February, CSUN will host Princeton (Feb. 1), Cal Lutheran (Feb. 8) and Pepperdine (Feb. 13) before traveling to Thousand Oaks to take on Cal Lutheran again on Feb. 15. Â
"Facing Harvard, Grand Canyon and Concordia in Santa Barbara will challenge us early on," said Campbell. "Then we have a tough trip to Fort Wayne, Ball State before hosting Loyola-Chicago and Lewis in Northridge. We also have Pepperdine twice, Princeton and UCLA in February, it's a fantastic non-conference schedule and one of the toughest in the country."
For the second straight season, the Matadors will open Big West Conference action against Long Beach State. CSUN travels to Long Beach to face the defending national champions on Mar. 1, before hosting the 49ers on Mar. 2. The Matadors wil then take a brief conference break to host Saint Francis (Mar. 8) and Lindenwood (Mar. 9) before returning to Big West play with a two-match trip to Hawai'i (Mar. 15-16).
March closes with a home and home series with UC Santa Barbara (Mar. 29-30) before regular season conference play concludes with home and home series' with UC Irvine (Apr. 5-6) and UC San Diego (Apr. 12-13).
"Obviously once we get to the Big West season, since we're playing in the best men's volleyball conference in the country, all those matches will be tough as well," added Campbell.
The second Big West Men's Volleyball Tournament opens in Honolulu, Hawai'i on April 18 with a pair of quarterfinal matches. Semifinal matches will be played Apr. 19 with the Big West Championship match slated for Saturday, Apr. 20. The 2019 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship will be at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach from May 2-4.
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2019 CSUN Men's Volleyball Schedule
Jan. 3
Thu.
vs. Concordia**
Santa Barbara, CA
5:30 pm
Jan. 4
Fri.
vs. Harvard**
Santa Barbara, CA
8:00 pm
Jan. 5
Sat.
vs. Grand Canyon**
Santa Barbara, CA
3:00 pm
Jan. 9
Wed.
vs. UCLA
Northridge, CA
7:00 pm
Jan. 11
Fri.
vs. UC Merced
Northridge, CA
7:00 pm
Jan. 18
Fri.
@ Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, IN
4:00 pm
Jan. 19
Sat.
@ Ball State
Muncie, IN
4:00 pm
Jan. 25
Fri.
vs. Loyola-Chicago
Northridge, CA
7:00 pm
Jan. 26
Sat.
vs. Lewis
Northridge, CA
7:00 pm
Jan. 30
Wed.
@ Pepperdine
Malibu, CA
7:00 pm
Feb. 1
Fri.
vs. Princeton
Northridge, CA
7:00 pm
Feb. 8
Fri.
vs. Cal Lutheran
Northridge, CA
7:00 pm
Feb. 13
Wed.
vs. Pepperdine
Northridge, CA
7:00 pm
Feb. 15
Fri.
@ Cal Lutheran
Thousand Oaks, CA
7:00 pm
Mar. 1
Fri.
@ Long Beach State*
Long Beach, CA
7:00 pm
Mar. 2
Sat.
vs. Long Beach State*
Northridge, CA
7:00 pm
Mar. 8
Fri.
vs. Saint Francis
Northridge, CA
7:00 pm
Mar. 9
Sat.
vs. Lindenwood
Northridge, CA
7:30 pm
Mar. 15
Fri.
@ Hawai'i*
Honolulu, HI
10:00 pm
Mar. 16
Sat.
@ Hawai'i*
Honolulu, HI
10:00 pm
Mar. 29
Fri.
@ UC Santa Barbara*
Santa Barbara, CA
7:00 pm
Mar. 30
Sat.
vs. UC Santa Barbara*
Northridge, CA
7:00 pm
Apr. 5
Fri.
vs. UC Irvine*
Northridge, CA
7:00 pm
Apr. 6
Sat.
@ UC Irvine*
Irvine, CA
7:00 pm
Apr. 12
Fri.
@ UC San Diego*
La Jolla, CA
7:00 pm
Apr. 13
Sat.
vs. UC San Diego*
Northridge, CA
7:00 pm
Apr. 18-20
Big West Tournament
Honolulu, HI
TBA
May 2-4
NCAA Tournament
Long Beach, CA
TBA
* - Big West Conference match
** - UCSB Asics InvitationalÂ
