Matadors Fall in Four Sets at UCSB in Regular Season Finale

GOLETA, Calif. - Senior Luke Krzmarzick pounded a career-high 16 kills but the CSUN men's volleyball team closed the regular season with a 3-1 loss to UC Santa Barbara Saturday night at Rob Gym.

With the four-set win (25-18, 27-25, 21-25, 25-21), the Gauchos improve to 7-16 overall and 3-7 in the Big West. The loss means CSUN closes the regular season at 12-15 overall and 1-9 in conference play.

KEY STATISTICS
• Krzmarzick, who had 11 kills off the bench on Friday, made his first start since the season opener against UCLA responding with a team-high 16 kills. The senior hit .314 on a career-high 35 attacks along with eight digs and five blocks.
• Kyle Hobus added 15 kills on .353 hitting his career-high with five blocks while Griffin Walters chipped in seven kills (.160) and seven digs.
• Setter Donovan Constable posted 34 assists and 12 digs for his second double-double of the season while Taylor Cook chipped in nine digs.
• The Gauchos out-hit the Matadors for the second straight night, this time .298 to .283.
• Ryan Wilcox led all hitters in the match with 17 kills, hitting .170 on 47 swings to lead the Gauchos.

SET 1
The Gauchos outscored the Matadors 5-1 to open the match when CSUN turned things around behind an 11-6 run, capped by a Hobus kill, to take its first lead at 12-11. An ensuing 5-1 run by the hosts would put UCSB back in front to stay 16-13 while forcing a Matador timeout. A Gaucho service error pulled CSUN within one at 18-17 but UCSB responded with a set-clinching 7-1 run that closed out a 25-18 win.

SET 2
After calling an early timeout down 5-2, the Matadors used a 4-1 run to rally back to take a 10-9 lead. A Walters kill opened up a 13-10 CSUN lead when UCSB scored three straight to knot the score at 13-all. The two teams traded sideouts until 16-16 when CSUN went on a 5-2 run to open up a 21-18 lead. Krzmarzick's kill gave the Matadors set point at 24-22 when the Gauchos saved a pair of set points to pull even at 24-24. Krzmarzick would connect again for a kill and CSUN had another set point at 25-24 but UCSB would take advantage of a trio of Matador miscues down the stretch to take the final three points in a 27-25 win.

SET 3
After hitting .161 in set two, the Matadors got their offense back on track in a must-win set three. CSUN, which would hit .424 in the frame, scored five straight points to break open a tight 7-6 lead. The Gauchos would climb back within three points on three occasions, the last at 15-12, when the Matadors claimed four of the next five to open up a 19-13 advantage. A Krzmarzick kill gave CSUN a 23-18 lead and the Matadors would withstand a late 3-1 UCSB run to close out a 25-21 win.

SET 4
Down 2-1 in the final set, CSUN surrendered a 6-2 run forcing the Matadors to call an early timeout down 8-3. UCSB would then claim four of the next six points out of a CSUN timeout to extend the lead to 12-5. Hubus' kill would fuel a 3-0 run by the Matadors hat trimmed the deficit to 12-8 forcing a Gaucho timeout. CSUN would remain within four at 13-9 when the hosts used a 5-2 run to open an 18-11 advantage. The Matadors would engineer a 6-1 run coming out a timeout to claw back within 19-16. Another late burst by the Matadors narrowed the gap to 23-21 before a pair of UCSB kills ended the match.

UP NEXT
The Matadors will open the 2023 Outrigger Big West Men's Volleyball Championship next Thursday (Apr. 20). CSUN will be the No. 6 seed in the championship and play the 7:30 p.m. match.

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Matadors Fall in Four Sets at UCSB in Regular Season Finale

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Team Stats

Luke Krzmarzick

Kyle Hobus

Griffin Walters

Jano Tello

Players Mentioned

Donovan Constable

Kyle Hobus

Luke Krzmarzick

Griffin Walters

Players Mentioned

Donovan Constable

Kyle Hobus

Luke Krzmarzick

Griffin Walters