Wednesday, February 28
Northridge, CA
6:00 P.M.
California State University at Northridge
8-7,0-0Big West
2
vs
3
Pepperdine
11-5,1-3MPSF
1
2
3
4
5
F
Pepperdine
25
20
25
17
15
3
CSUN
19
25
22
25
12
2
Photo by: Steve Fitzgerald
CSUN Falls in Another 5-Setter as No. 10 Pepperdine Wins, 3-2
2/28/2024 8:54:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - The No. 16 CSUN Matadors went the distance against a top-15 team for the second straight match but came up short as No. 10 Pepperdine won in five sets (25-19, 20-25, 25-22, 17-25, 15-12) in a non-conference match Wednesday night at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
Redshirt freshman Jalen Phillips led all hitters in the match with 16 kills (.278) while senior Griffin Walters added 15 kills (.265), and fellow senior Kyle Hobus chipped in 13 kills (.194). Walters also added a pair of aces while Hobus tied for match-high honors with six blocks. Junior setter Donovan Constable had a solid all-around match, posting his second career double-double with 39 assists and 13 digs which tied his career high. Constable also served a career-high four aces to go with four kills and three blocks.
CSUN (8-7) hit .256 (53-22-121) compared to a .278 clip for the visiting Waves. Behind Constable's four aces, the Matadors dominated a the service line with eight aces to Pepperdine's one. CSUN also won the battle at the net with 12 team blocks to nine while the Waves had 38 team digs to 33 for the Matadors.
ACCORDING TO COACHÂ THEO EDWARDS
"Another great battle and another step in the right direction, but not quite enough to beat Pepperdine tonight. I thought we had some great performances from Jalen (Phillips), Griffin (Walters), and Kyle (Hobus). To force a fifth set against the number 10 team in the country shows that we're right there. I have no doubt that we're going to get over the hump against these top teams and that starts on Friday against Charleston."
Redshirt freshman Jalen Phillips led all hitters in the match with 16 kills (.278) while senior Griffin Walters added 15 kills (.265), and fellow senior Kyle Hobus chipped in 13 kills (.194). Walters also added a pair of aces while Hobus tied for match-high honors with six blocks. Junior setter Donovan Constable had a solid all-around match, posting his second career double-double with 39 assists and 13 digs which tied his career high. Constable also served a career-high four aces to go with four kills and three blocks.
CSUN (8-7) hit .256 (53-22-121) compared to a .278 clip for the visiting Waves. Behind Constable's four aces, the Matadors dominated a the service line with eight aces to Pepperdine's one. CSUN also won the battle at the net with 12 team blocks to nine while the Waves had 38 team digs to 33 for the Matadors.
HOW IT HAPPENEDÂ
- Neither team hit well at the outset as Pepperdine hit .148 in the opening frame to CSUN's .034. The Matadors held an early 4-2 lead before the visitors went on a 5-1 run to take a 7-5 lead. A CSUN hitting error gave the Waves their largest lead of the set at 15-9 before Pepperdine extended the lead to as many as nine at 22-13. After the Matadors rallied back to within five at 24-19, a kill by the Waves ended a 25-19 opening set.
- CSUN would find its rhythm in set two, connecting at a .348 clip as the Matadors jumped out to an early 11-7 lead. Following a Pepperdine timeout, the Waves would rally back behind 9-6 run to close to within 17-16. A service error by the Waves followed by a Walters ace pushed the lead back to three (19-16) before Pepperdine rallied again to pull within one at 20-19. But CSUN would outscore the Waves 5-1 down the stretch to claim the 25-20 win.
ACE WITH AUTHORITY.
— CSUN Men's Volleyball (@CSUNMensVB) February 29, 2024
Kyle Hobus gives CSUN the 25-20 win in set two.
It's now a best-of-3.#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/yw5HoJ99Im
- With the match tied one set apiece, Pepperdine would hit .364 to the Matadors' .231 and take a 25-22 win. Holding a 9-7 lead, the Waves would claim 8 of the next 11 points to open up a 17-10 cushion. A Pepperdine service error on the ensuing point would fuel a 5-1 CSUN run to trimmed the deficit to 18-15. A solo block by Constable would pull the Matadors within two at 23-21 but CSUN would get no closer. Â
- The Matadors would then dominate the fourth set, out-hitting Pepperdine .391 to .143 to win 25-17. After a kill by the Waves trimmed the CSUN lead to 10-8, the Matadors responded by claiming seven of the next 10 points to lead by six at 17-11. CSUN would lead by as many as eight before a Phillips kill on set point sent the match to a fifth and deciding set.
Going to a fifth set!
— CSUN Men's Volleyball (@CSUNMensVB) February 29, 2024
CSUN dominates the fourth, 25-17.#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/C3PKhFwlgB
- A Phillips kill gave the Matadors an early 4-2 lead before Pepperdine put together a 5-2 run to take a 7-6 lead. A 4-2 run by CSUN, capped by a Constable kill, put the Matadors up 10-8 while forcing a timeout by the Waves. Two straight Pepperdine points tied the score before a Walters kill kept the Matadors in front 11-10. But three straight kills by the Waves, along with a block on a CSUN swing, would give the visitors the margin they needed to take the 15-12 win.
ACCORDING TO COACHÂ THEO EDWARDS
"Another great battle and another step in the right direction, but not quite enough to beat Pepperdine tonight. I thought we had some great performances from Jalen (Phillips), Griffin (Walters), and Kyle (Hobus). To force a fifth set against the number 10 team in the country shows that we're right there. I have no doubt that we're going to get over the hump against these top teams and that starts on Friday against Charleston."
UP NEXT
The Matadors play the sixth match of their seven-match homestand on Friday, hosting Charleston at 6 p.m. The match will stream on ESPN+.
#GoMatadors
Team Stats
PEP
CSUN
Kills
57
53
Errors
22
22
Attempts
126
121
Hitting %
.278
.256
Points
67.0
73.0
Assists
55
50
Aces
1
8
Blocks
9
12
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
15
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
13
Aces
1
Blocks
6
Kills
4
Aces
4
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
S
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's VolleyballOPP
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's VolleyballCalHOPE Award Nathan Merren
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