Trio of Matadors Named to 2023 Big West Men's Volleyball All-Conference Team
4/19/2023 2:45:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - Highlighted by first team selection Kyle Hobus, CSUN men's volleyball had three student-athletes named to the 2023 Big West Men's Volleyball All-Conference Team as announced by the conference on Wednesday, Apr. 19.
Hobus, a redshirt junior, earned first-team honors for the second consecutive season while junior Griffin Walters earned honorable mention accolades for the first time and Malcolm King was named to the Big West All-Freshman Team.
The Matadors, who have now had 20 players named All-Big West in six seasons in the conference, finished the 2023 regular season with a 12-15 record and are the No. 6 seed in this week's Outrigger Big West Men's Volleyball Championship.
After a breakout season that saw him garner first team honors in 2022, Hobus had another huge season for the Matadors in 2023. He leads CSUN in kills with 334 and ranks fourth in the Big West averaging 3.63 kills per set. He has been the Matador leader in kills in 19 of 27 matches this season and has also set season-highs in attempts (776), digs (119) and blocks (64). Hobus was also the Big West Co-Freshman of the Year as well as an honorable mention and All-Freshman selection in 2020.
"Kyle has not only been our kills leader and captain this season but is an incredible role model for our younger guys," said CSUN head coach Theo Edwards. "He is such a hard worker and to me this honor is a testament to his dedication and what he's done all season long."Walters was also one of the Matadors' top offensive weapons this season, setting season career-highs in virtually every statistical category. He ranks second to Hobus in kills with 259 while also ranking second on the team averaging 2.82 kills per set. Walters also has 114 digs and 34 total blocks this season and ranks eighth in the Big West in aces, averaging 0.34 per set.
"The interesting thing about Grif is he's our most tenured student-athlete but is also our inspirational leader," said Edwards. "When we're in difficult situations, he's the guy that comes up with something to motivate the team. He's been incredibly steady this year and is very deserving of all-conference honors."
King represents the eighth Matador freshman to earn Big West All-Freshman Team accolades after Maciej Ptaszynski (2018), Taylor Ittner and Wetter (2019), Hobus (2020), Kyle Merchen (2021) and Donovan Constable and Olumide Allen (2022). King finished his first season with 40 kills on .270 hitting and was one of the leading blockers on the team with 41 in just 45 sets (0.91 bps) which ranked sixth among Big West players.
"Coming in as a true freshman, Malcolm wasn't even supposed to play middle blocker this season," said Edwards. "But he did a tremendous job for us and stepped up when we really needed him. Given the fact that this was his first year, Malcolm's future is very bright and he will be a cornerstone player for us in the future."
CSUN opens the 2023 Outrigger Big West Men's Volleyball Championship at the Bren Events Center against No. 3 seed UC Irvine Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
#GoMatadors
