Photo by: Steve Fitzgerald
Matadors Picked Fifth in Big West Preseason Coaches Poll
12/21/2022 8:37:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
2023 Big West Men's Volleyball Preview Show, presented by OUTRIGGER Resorts
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - The CSUN men's volleyball team was picked to finish fifth in the Big West Men's Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll announced Wednesday, Dec. 21.
The Matadors received 10 points from the conference's head coaches and were predicted to finish fifth in the six-team conference. Hawai'i, the two-time defending national champion, was picked to win the Big West as the Rainbow Warriors earned 25 points including five of six first-place votes. Long Beach State was slated second with 19 points, followed by UC Irvine (17 points, one first-place vote), UC Santa Barbara (13 points), the Matadors, and UC San Diego (6 points).
CSUN, which opens the 2023 season at the Asics Invitational at UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 5, returns five starters and 11Â letterwinners from 2022's squad that finished 6-16 overall and 1-9 in the Big West.
"The preseason poll is the product of an ultra-competitive men's volleyball conference," said first-year head coach Theo Edwards. "The exciting thing is that it doesn't tell you the entire story. I like what we've done this fall, and we have created a preseason schedule that will prepare us for the challenging Big West schedule. We are excited for the opportunity to get on the court and ready to prove the poll wrong."
Key returners for the Matadors this season include 2022 All-Big West first-team selection Kyle Hobus, and Big West All-Freshman Team picks Olumide Allen and Donovan Constable. Junior Griffin Walters, redshirt junior Jano Tello and sophomore Lorenzo Bertozzi also return to anchor the CSUN lineup, which a handful of talented newcomers will bolster. Â
Hobus, a redshirt junior, had a breakout season for the Matadors in 2022. The Big West Co-Freshman of the Year as well as an honorable mention and All-Freshman selection in 2020, he improved his numbers in every statistical category last season. He led CSUN in kills with 234 and ranked fifth in the Big West, averaging 3.49 kills per set. He was the team leader in kills in 16 of 22 matches in 2022 and also ranked among the Big West's top 20 in hitting, service aces, digs, blocks, and points.
Allen and Constable were the sixth and seventh Matador freshmen to earn Big West All-Freshman Team accolades after Maciej Ptaszynski (2018), Taylor Ittner and Wetter (2019), Hobus (2020) and Kyle Merchen (2021). Constable had a team-high 666 assists in 22 matches last season, which is the most by a CSUN freshman since Taylor Ittner posted 992 as a freshman in 2019. Constable, who made 21 starts in his debut season, ranked fifth among Big West setters (20th nationally), averaging 9.65 assists per set. Allen ranked in the top-20 in the Big West in blocks while ranking second to Daniel Wetter in hitting percentage at .422 with 78 kills and 21 errors on 135 swings.
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#UniteTheValley
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - The CSUN men's volleyball team was picked to finish fifth in the Big West Men's Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll announced Wednesday, Dec. 21.
The Matadors received 10 points from the conference's head coaches and were predicted to finish fifth in the six-team conference. Hawai'i, the two-time defending national champion, was picked to win the Big West as the Rainbow Warriors earned 25 points including five of six first-place votes. Long Beach State was slated second with 19 points, followed by UC Irvine (17 points, one first-place vote), UC Santa Barbara (13 points), the Matadors, and UC San Diego (6 points).
CSUN, which opens the 2023 season at the Asics Invitational at UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 5, returns five starters and 11Â letterwinners from 2022's squad that finished 6-16 overall and 1-9 in the Big West.
"The preseason poll is the product of an ultra-competitive men's volleyball conference," said first-year head coach Theo Edwards. "The exciting thing is that it doesn't tell you the entire story. I like what we've done this fall, and we have created a preseason schedule that will prepare us for the challenging Big West schedule. We are excited for the opportunity to get on the court and ready to prove the poll wrong."
Key returners for the Matadors this season include 2022 All-Big West first-team selection Kyle Hobus, and Big West All-Freshman Team picks Olumide Allen and Donovan Constable. Junior Griffin Walters, redshirt junior Jano Tello and sophomore Lorenzo Bertozzi also return to anchor the CSUN lineup, which a handful of talented newcomers will bolster. Â
Hobus, a redshirt junior, had a breakout season for the Matadors in 2022. The Big West Co-Freshman of the Year as well as an honorable mention and All-Freshman selection in 2020, he improved his numbers in every statistical category last season. He led CSUN in kills with 234 and ranked fifth in the Big West, averaging 3.49 kills per set. He was the team leader in kills in 16 of 22 matches in 2022 and also ranked among the Big West's top 20 in hitting, service aces, digs, blocks, and points.
Allen and Constable were the sixth and seventh Matador freshmen to earn Big West All-Freshman Team accolades after Maciej Ptaszynski (2018), Taylor Ittner and Wetter (2019), Hobus (2020) and Kyle Merchen (2021). Constable had a team-high 666 assists in 22 matches last season, which is the most by a CSUN freshman since Taylor Ittner posted 992 as a freshman in 2019. Constable, who made 21 starts in his debut season, ranked fifth among Big West setters (20th nationally), averaging 9.65 assists per set. Allen ranked in the top-20 in the Big West in blocks while ranking second to Daniel Wetter in hitting percentage at .422 with 78 kills and 21 errors on 135 swings.
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| 1. | Hawai'i | 25 (5) |
| 2. | Long Beach State | 19 |
| 3. | UC Irvine | 17 (1) |
| 4. | UC Santa Barbara | 13 |
| 5. | CSUN | 10 |
| 6. | UC San Diego | 6 |
| () First place votes |
#UniteTheValley
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