Friday, February 3
Northridge, CA
5:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
5-5,0-0Big West
3
vs
2
Stanford
6-2,0-0MPSF
1
2
3
4
5
F
Stanford
25
24
25
18
13
2
CSUN
21
26
22
25
15
3
Photo by: Steve Fitzgerald
Matadors Upset No. 6 Stanford in Five-Set Thriller
2/3/2023 8:04:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - Junior Kyle Hobus connected for a season-high 21 kills while Griffin Walters added 17 as the CSUN men's volleyball team came back from being down 2-1 to win the final two sets in a five-set victory over No. 6 Stanford in a non-conference match on Friday evening at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
With the 21-25, 26-24, 22-25, 25-18, 15-13 win, the Matadors snap a three-match skid and even their season record at 5-5. CSUN also picked up its first win of the season over a ranked team.
KEY STATISTICS
• Hobus tied for match-high honors with 21 kills while matching his career-high with 55 attacks. The CSUN junior also had a season-high eight digs to go with three blocks and a pair of assists.
• Walters also had an impressive night, matching his career-high with 17 kills on a career-high 40 swings to hit .300. Walters also chipped in eight digs, two aces and a pair of blocks. Sophomore Lorenzo Bertozzi was the third Matador with double digit kills, connecting for a career-high 12 on .308 hitting. Bertozzi notched his first collegiate double-double by adding a career-high 11 digs and one ace.
• The CSUN middles, Malcolm King and Jano Tello combined for 12 kills with King recording a career-high five blocks.
• Setter Donovan Constable handed out a career-high 56 assists to go with a career-high 13 digs as he also posted his first career double-double. Libero Taylan Cook led a solid defensive effort with a career-high 20 digs as CSUN out-dug Stanford 31-52.
• The visiting Cardinal had a slight edge in hitting, .279 (58-17-147) to .273 (64-22-154) and also out-blocked the Matadors, 10-6.
• Will Rottman matched Hobus with 21 kills to lead the Cardinal (6-2) while hitting .278 hitting on 54 swings.
COACH THEO EDWARDS SAID
"The guys kind of re-invented themselves at practice yesterday. Our last match taught us a lesson and we came into tonight's match with a different attitude and a different focus. Kyle, Griffin and Taylan all did some impressive things tonight but this was an absolute team effort. We'll enjoy this win, but we'll need to re-focus our attention on playing three matches next week on the East Coast against some really good teams."
SET 1
After opening up a slim two-point lead in the early going, the Matadors used a King kill to extended their lead to 13-9 while forcing a Stanford timeout. The visitors would answer with a 7-3 run out of the timeout to tie the score at 16-16. Two more Stanford points forced a CSUN timeout when the Cardinal put up a block on the ensuing point to lead by as many as three (19-16). After a Constable kill ended the run, Stanford scored three straight to force the Matadors into their final timeout at 22-17. A Hobus kill and a Tello ace cut the lead to three before the visitors pulled away for the 25-21 win.Â
SET 2
Despite being out-hit .333 to .263 in a set that featured 19 ties, the Matadors rallied late to pull even with the 26-24 win. Stanford held an early 9-7 lead and would carry a two-point lead (15-13) into the media timeout. A kill by Hobus followed by a Cardinal hitting error and a Constable ace put CSUN back in front 16-15 when two straight Stanford points put the Cardinal on top. The visitors still led by one at 21-20 when the Matadors rallied behind a 4-1 run to set up set point at 24-22. Stanford saved a pair of set points before a Cardinal service error and a Walters ace sent CSUN to the 26-24 win.
SET 3
Looking to build on the momentum, the Matadors jumped out to a 4-1 lead and would lead by as many as five at 11-6 following a Stanford hitting error. Still up 14-10, CSUN would surrender a 9-2 run that erased the lead while putting the Cardinal up 19-16. The Matadors scored on a Bertozzi kill out of a timeout to cut the lead to two, but Stanford would answer with a 4-1 run to go up 23-18 on its way to the 25-22 win.
SET 4
A Walters kill capped a 3-0 CSUN run midway through the fourth set, giving the Matadors a 13-9 advantage. Two straight Stanford points out of a timeout trimmed the deficit to 13-11 but CSUN responded with a 4-1 run to open up a five-point lead at 17-12. The Matadors would pull away late, leading by as many as seven before forcing a fifth and deciding set after winning the frame by the score of 25-18.
SET 5
Neither team could forge more than a one-point lead until a Hobus kill and a Stanford hitting error gave the hosts an 8-6 edge. Two straight Stanford points tied the score and the two teams would play on even terms until 12-12. The Matadors would use a Bertozzi ace and a Hobus kill to take match point at 14-12 when Theo Snoey saved one match point with his 13th kill of the night. But the ensuing Cardinal serve would find the net and CSUN pulled out the 15-13 win.Â
UP NEXT
After concluding their season-long, seven-match homestand, the Matadors head to the East Coast for their next three matches beginning next Wednesday (Feb. 8) at Princeton.
#UniteTheValley
With the 21-25, 26-24, 22-25, 25-18, 15-13 win, the Matadors snap a three-match skid and even their season record at 5-5. CSUN also picked up its first win of the season over a ranked team.
KEY STATISTICS
• Hobus tied for match-high honors with 21 kills while matching his career-high with 55 attacks. The CSUN junior also had a season-high eight digs to go with three blocks and a pair of assists.
• Walters also had an impressive night, matching his career-high with 17 kills on a career-high 40 swings to hit .300. Walters also chipped in eight digs, two aces and a pair of blocks. Sophomore Lorenzo Bertozzi was the third Matador with double digit kills, connecting for a career-high 12 on .308 hitting. Bertozzi notched his first collegiate double-double by adding a career-high 11 digs and one ace.
• The CSUN middles, Malcolm King and Jano Tello combined for 12 kills with King recording a career-high five blocks.
• Setter Donovan Constable handed out a career-high 56 assists to go with a career-high 13 digs as he also posted his first career double-double. Libero Taylan Cook led a solid defensive effort with a career-high 20 digs as CSUN out-dug Stanford 31-52.
• The visiting Cardinal had a slight edge in hitting, .279 (58-17-147) to .273 (64-22-154) and also out-blocked the Matadors, 10-6.
• Will Rottman matched Hobus with 21 kills to lead the Cardinal (6-2) while hitting .278 hitting on 54 swings.
COACH THEO EDWARDS SAID
"The guys kind of re-invented themselves at practice yesterday. Our last match taught us a lesson and we came into tonight's match with a different attitude and a different focus. Kyle, Griffin and Taylan all did some impressive things tonight but this was an absolute team effort. We'll enjoy this win, but we'll need to re-focus our attention on playing three matches next week on the East Coast against some really good teams."
SET 1
After opening up a slim two-point lead in the early going, the Matadors used a King kill to extended their lead to 13-9 while forcing a Stanford timeout. The visitors would answer with a 7-3 run out of the timeout to tie the score at 16-16. Two more Stanford points forced a CSUN timeout when the Cardinal put up a block on the ensuing point to lead by as many as three (19-16). After a Constable kill ended the run, Stanford scored three straight to force the Matadors into their final timeout at 22-17. A Hobus kill and a Tello ace cut the lead to three before the visitors pulled away for the 25-21 win.Â
SET 2
Despite being out-hit .333 to .263 in a set that featured 19 ties, the Matadors rallied late to pull even with the 26-24 win. Stanford held an early 9-7 lead and would carry a two-point lead (15-13) into the media timeout. A kill by Hobus followed by a Cardinal hitting error and a Constable ace put CSUN back in front 16-15 when two straight Stanford points put the Cardinal on top. The visitors still led by one at 21-20 when the Matadors rallied behind a 4-1 run to set up set point at 24-22. Stanford saved a pair of set points before a Cardinal service error and a Walters ace sent CSUN to the 26-24 win.
SET 3
Looking to build on the momentum, the Matadors jumped out to a 4-1 lead and would lead by as many as five at 11-6 following a Stanford hitting error. Still up 14-10, CSUN would surrender a 9-2 run that erased the lead while putting the Cardinal up 19-16. The Matadors scored on a Bertozzi kill out of a timeout to cut the lead to two, but Stanford would answer with a 4-1 run to go up 23-18 on its way to the 25-22 win.
SET 4
A Walters kill capped a 3-0 CSUN run midway through the fourth set, giving the Matadors a 13-9 advantage. Two straight Stanford points out of a timeout trimmed the deficit to 13-11 but CSUN responded with a 4-1 run to open up a five-point lead at 17-12. The Matadors would pull away late, leading by as many as seven before forcing a fifth and deciding set after winning the frame by the score of 25-18.
SET 5
Neither team could forge more than a one-point lead until a Hobus kill and a Stanford hitting error gave the hosts an 8-6 edge. Two straight Stanford points tied the score and the two teams would play on even terms until 12-12. The Matadors would use a Bertozzi ace and a Hobus kill to take match point at 14-12 when Theo Snoey saved one match point with his 13th kill of the night. But the ensuing Cardinal serve would find the net and CSUN pulled out the 15-13 win.Â
UP NEXT
After concluding their season-long, seven-match homestand, the Matadors head to the East Coast for their next three matches beginning next Wednesday (Feb. 8) at Princeton.
#UniteTheValley
Team Stats
Stan
CSUN
Kills
58
64
Errors
17
22
Attempts
147
154
Hitting %
.279
.273
Points
75
76
Assists
57
63
Aces
7
6
Blocks
10
6
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
21
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
17
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's Volleyball
L
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's Volleyball
OPP
/ Men's VolleyballMB
/ Men's VolleyballOH
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