Saturday, February 24
Northridge, CA
6:00 P.M.
California State University at Northridge
8-6,0-0Big West
2
vs
3
Lewis University
9-7,3-3MIVA
1
2
3
4
5
F
Lewis
25
25
19
19
15
3
CSUN
20
15
25
25
10
2
Photo by: Steve Fitzgerald
#15 Lewis Holds Off No. 16 CSUN's Comeback Bid
2/24/2024 8:38:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - After dropping the first two sets, the 16th-ranked CSUN men's volleyball team stormed back to win the next two sets before falling 15-9 in the fifth set as No. 15 Lewis escaped with a 3-2 non-conference win Saturday night at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
Senior Kyle Hobus led all hitters in the match, putting down a season-high 25 kills. Hobus hit .426 on a season-high 47 swings to go with seven digs, four blocks, and a pair of aces. Fellow senior Griffin Walters added 11 kills (.125) and six digs while redshirt freshman Jalen Phillips chipped in 10 kills (.103).
CSUN (8-6) hit .211 (55-28-128) behind 43 assists from Donovan Constable while Lewis hit .259 (51-22-112) as a team. The Matadors would post slight edges in blocks (12.5-11.5) and aces (3-2) while the Flyers had 33 team digs to 31 for CSUN. Senior Jano Tello tied for match-high honors with a career-high six blocks for the Matadors.
ACCORDING TO COACHÂ THEO EDWARDS
"Great match tonight, but when you have matches like this you want to win them. We're coming off a 10-day lull when we didn't have a match, and that showed especially in the first two sets. We got off to a slow start, but what was nice to see is that we turned it around. In sets three and four, we saw some really great production. Kyle had a great night and Donovan started to find his groove. For us, it's a moment to grow and get back to the drawing board and figure out what we can to improve."
Senior Kyle Hobus led all hitters in the match, putting down a season-high 25 kills. Hobus hit .426 on a season-high 47 swings to go with seven digs, four blocks, and a pair of aces. Fellow senior Griffin Walters added 11 kills (.125) and six digs while redshirt freshman Jalen Phillips chipped in 10 kills (.103).
CSUN (8-6) hit .211 (55-28-128) behind 43 assists from Donovan Constable while Lewis hit .259 (51-22-112) as a team. The Matadors would post slight edges in blocks (12.5-11.5) and aces (3-2) while the Flyers had 33 team digs to 31 for CSUN. Senior Jano Tello tied for match-high honors with a career-high six blocks for the Matadors.
HOW IT HAPPENEDÂ
- Neither team hit well in the opening set which was tied nine times and featured four lead changes. After a Hobus kill gave CSUN a 9-7 lead, the Flyers claimed six of the next eight points to take a 13-11 lead. A 4-2 Matador run tied the score at 15-15 before Lewis took advantage of a pair of CSUN hitting errors to open up a 19-16 cushion. The Matadors responded with a 4-2 run to pull within 21-20 but would get no closer as the Flyers closed the set on a 4-1 run.
- After hitting .118 in set one, CSUN slipped to .000 in set two as the Flyers opened up a two-set lead with a 25-15 win. The Matadors were within two at 15-13 following a Lorenzo Bertozzi kill when a 3-1 Lewis run forced a CSUN timeout. A kill by Jackson Payne trimmed the lead to 18-15 but Lewis would score the final seven points of the frame.
- CSUN would bounce back to hit .229 in set three while limiting Lewis to an .034 clip. Another Hobus kill gave the Matadors an early 4-1 lead and CSUN would never trail in the set. The Flyers would trail by three (9-6) before putting together a 4-2 run to cut the Matador lead to 11-10. A Lewis service error would then fuel a 5-0 CSUN run that opened up a 16-10 lead before the Matadors closed out a 25-19 win.Â
- The Matadors would then hit a match-high .440 to take the fourth set by the same 25-19 margin. Holding a slim 13-12 lead, CSUN would outscore Lewis 6-1 over the next seven points to open up a 19-13 cushion. The Flyers would only get within four the rest of the way as the Matadors forced a fifth and deciding set.
- Lewis would not commit a hitting error in the final set, connecting for nine kills on 11 swings to pull out the 15-10 win. After a Phillips kill pulled the Matadors within one at 6-5, the Flyers claimed four of the next five points to lead 10-6. A Lewis service error out of a CSUN timeout pulled the Matadors within three (10-7) before kills from Walters and Hobus cut the lead to two at 11-9. Lewis would answer with a match-clinching 4-1 run to take the match, 15-9.
ACCORDING TO COACHÂ THEO EDWARDS
"Great match tonight, but when you have matches like this you want to win them. We're coming off a 10-day lull when we didn't have a match, and that showed especially in the first two sets. We got off to a slow start, but what was nice to see is that we turned it around. In sets three and four, we saw some really great production. Kyle had a great night and Donovan started to find his groove. For us, it's a moment to grow and get back to the drawing board and figure out what we can to improve."
UP NEXT
The Matadors continue their current seven-match homestand next week, hosting Pepperdine on Wednesday and Charleston on Friday. Both matches are scheduled for a 6 p.m. first serve and will stream on ESPN+.
#GoMatadors
Team Stats
Lewis
CSUN
Kills
51
55
Errors
22
28
Attempts
112
128
Hitting %
.259
.211
Points
64.5
70.5
Assists
49
50
Aces
2
3
Blocks
11.5
12.5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
25
Aces
2
Blocks
4
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Men's VolleyballS
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's VolleyballOPP
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's VolleyballCalHOPE Award Nathan Merren
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