Friday, March 1
Northridge, CA
6:00 P.M.
California State University at Northridge
9-7,0-0Big West
3
vs
0
University of Charleston
8-9,1-3EIVA
1
2
3
F
Charleston (WV)
20
16
23
0
CSUN
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Steve Fitzgerald
16th-Ranked Matadors Defeat Charleston in Straight Sets
3/1/2024 8:09:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – The 16th-ranked CSUN men's volleyball team picked up its sixth win in 10 home matches this season after sweeping the University of Charleston, 25-20, 25-16, 25-23 in a non-conference match Friday night at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
Senior Griffin Walters had a match-high nine kills while hitting .471 on 14 swings to lead the Matadors. Redshirt freshman Jalen Phillips added seven kills (.118) and a season-high four blocks while both Kyle Hobus and Nir Eitan chipped in six kills apiece. Eitan hit .500 on eight attacks in his first collegiate start, while Hobus matched his career-high with four aces.
Behind 27 assists from setter Donovan Constable, CSUN hit .329 (37-14-70) as a team while holding the Golden Eagles to a .100 (23-17-60) clip. Constable had another impressive all-around match by adding four kills, three digs, and matching his career-best with four aces for the second straight match. CSUN served 13 aces as a team and also had a sizable edge in blocks (8-2).
HOW IT HAPPENED
"I felt we really got back on track as a team tonight. Donovan (Constable) did a really nice job setting, we hit .329 as a team and had some really great production out of the middle for the first time in quite some time. Jano (Tello) hit over .800 and Nir (Eitan) hit over .500, so to get two middles playing at a high clip has been a goal for us and we were able to achieve that. It was a good way to end the week, now we'll gear up for Penn State on Tuesday."
CSUN concludes its season-long, seven-match homestand next Tuesday, Mar. 5 as the Matadors welcome No. 9 Penn State to Premier America Credit Union Arena at 6 p.m. The match will stream live on ESPN+.
#GoMatadors
Senior Griffin Walters had a match-high nine kills while hitting .471 on 14 swings to lead the Matadors. Redshirt freshman Jalen Phillips added seven kills (.118) and a season-high four blocks while both Kyle Hobus and Nir Eitan chipped in six kills apiece. Eitan hit .500 on eight attacks in his first collegiate start, while Hobus matched his career-high with four aces.
Behind 27 assists from setter Donovan Constable, CSUN hit .329 (37-14-70) as a team while holding the Golden Eagles to a .100 (23-17-60) clip. Constable had another impressive all-around match by adding four kills, three digs, and matching his career-best with four aces for the second straight match. CSUN served 13 aces as a team and also had a sizable edge in blocks (8-2).
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A Charleston hitting error gave the Matadors an early 9-3 lead in the opening set and CSUN would not look back. The Golden Eagles would battle back to within three at 12-9 before the Matadors would claim four of the next five points to open up a 16-10 advantage. An ensuing 5-1 run by the visitors trimmed the CSUN lead to 17-15 before the Matadors would outscore Charleston 8-5 down the stretch as a Walters kill clinched the 25-20 win.
- After hitting a robust .417 in the opening set, CSUN cooled off in the second (.261) but Charleston would hit .000 as CSUN won 25-16. The Matadors served five aces in the frame as they raced out to a 7-1 lead and would never trail. The lead swelled to as many as eight (17-9) following a Hobus kill before the final margin was nine.
- CSUN led 4-2 in the final set following a kill and block from Eitan. A CSUN triple block (Eitan, Phillips, Walters) boosted the lead to 7-2 and the Matadors would eventually lead by seven at 11-4. The visitors chipped away at the lead, eventually pulling within two at 13-11. But three straight CSUN points, highlighted by Constable's fourth ace, pushed the lead back to five and the Matadors held off a late Charleston rally to win 25-23.
ACCORDING TO COACH THEO EDWARDSStraight sets.
— CSUN Men's Volleyball (@CSUNMensVB) March 2, 2024
CSUN wins 25-20, 25-16, 25-23!#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/kzeyNu4u1Y
"I felt we really got back on track as a team tonight. Donovan (Constable) did a really nice job setting, we hit .329 as a team and had some really great production out of the middle for the first time in quite some time. Jano (Tello) hit over .800 and Nir (Eitan) hit over .500, so to get two middles playing at a high clip has been a goal for us and we were able to achieve that. It was a good way to end the week, now we'll gear up for Penn State on Tuesday."
UP NEXTHear from head coach Theo Edwards following No. 16 #CSUN's 3-0 sweep over visiting Charleston#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/mCpQQduYZy
— CSUN Men's Volleyball (@CSUNMensVB) March 2, 2024
CSUN concludes its season-long, seven-match homestand next Tuesday, Mar. 5 as the Matadors welcome No. 9 Penn State to Premier America Credit Union Arena at 6 p.m. The match will stream live on ESPN+.
#GoMatadors
Team Stats
UCM
CSUN
Kills
23
37
Errors
17
14
Attempts
60
70
Hitting %
.100
.329
Points
30.0
58.0
Assists
23
34
Aces
5
13
Blocks
2
8
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
9
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
6
Aces
4
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
S
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's VolleyballOPP
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's VolleyballCalHOPE Award Nathan Merren
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