Tuesday, March 5
Northridge, CA
6:00 P.M.
California State University at Northridge
9-8,0-0Big West
1
vs
3
Penn State
13-4,4-0EIVA
1
2
3
F
Penn St.
25
25
17
3
CSUN
21
21
25
23
1
Photo by: Steve Fitzgerald
No. 9 Penn State Defeats No. 16 CSUN in Four Sets
3/5/2024 8:31:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – The 16th-ranked CSUN men's volleyball team capped a seven-match homestand as well as the non-conference season Tuesday night, falling to No. 9 Penn State in four sets in a non-conference match at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
After dropping the first two sets to the Nittany Lions, the Matadors (9-8) rallied to take the third set but could not complete the comeback, dropping a 25-21, 25-21, 17-25, 25-23 decision.
Senior Kyle Hobus led all hitters with 19 kills (.256) and also posted match-highs in aces with four and blocks with six (two solo). Hobus also finished second to Donovan Constable with six digs in the loss. Junior Matteo Salvador came off the bench to add eight kills, hitting .636 on 11 swings and Jalen Phillips chipped in seven kills (.091), three digs, and three blocks. In addition to his team-high seven digs, Constable posted 34 assists, four kills, and a pair of blocks.
CSUN wound up with more team kills (44-42) while Penn State hit .269 to the Matadors' .240. CSUN posted a sizable 11-6 edge in blocks and the Matadors served five aces to a pair for the Nittany Lions. Penn State had 32 team digs to CSUN's 24.
HOW IT HAPPENED
"We came out incredibly flat and gave up some early leads which was disappointing. I think that as a team we're learning that if we want to be great, we can't have sustained periods where we don't play well. Then there are moments when we play like one of the best teams in the country but it's just not consistent enough.
"We played a challenging non-conference schedule for a reason and now it's time for us to put those lessons we learned into action as we start the Big West season."
UP NEXT
After wrapping up the non-conference portion of the 2024 schedule, CSUN will next turn its attention to the Big West season which gets underway Mar. 14 at UC San Diego. The Matadors will host the Tritons the following night (Mar. 15) at 6 p.m.
#GoMatadors
After dropping the first two sets to the Nittany Lions, the Matadors (9-8) rallied to take the third set but could not complete the comeback, dropping a 25-21, 25-21, 17-25, 25-23 decision.
Senior Kyle Hobus led all hitters with 19 kills (.256) and also posted match-highs in aces with four and blocks with six (two solo). Hobus also finished second to Donovan Constable with six digs in the loss. Junior Matteo Salvador came off the bench to add eight kills, hitting .636 on 11 swings and Jalen Phillips chipped in seven kills (.091), three digs, and three blocks. In addition to his team-high seven digs, Constable posted 34 assists, four kills, and a pair of blocks.
CSUN wound up with more team kills (44-42) while Penn State hit .269 to the Matadors' .240. CSUN posted a sizable 11-6 edge in blocks and the Matadors served five aces to a pair for the Nittany Lions. Penn State had 32 team digs to CSUN's 24.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Penn State forced a pair of early CSUN timeouts after opening up leads of 7-3 and 11-4. A kill by Nir Eitan capped a 7-2 CSUN run that trimmed the deficit to 13-11. But an ensuing 4-1 run by the visitors pushed the lead back to five at 17-12. Two straight Penn State miscues would fuel a 6-2 run by the Matadors who drew within one at 19-18. CSUN was still within one at 21-20 when the Nittany Lions claimed four of the final five points to take a 25-21 set one win.
- CSUN, which hit a combined .188 in the first two sets, would drop set two by the same 25-21 score. The set was tied nine times, all in the early going, before Penn State scored twice to snap a 9-9 tie. The Matador were still down two at 21-19 when the visitors outscored the Matadors 4-2 down the stretch to take a two-set lead.
- The CSUN offense came alive in the third set as the Matadors would hit .480 to Penn State's .250. Hobus and Salvador would connect for 11 of the Matadors' 14 kills as CSUN raced out to a 4-1 lead and would never trail in the set. Holding a 12-10 edge, the Matadors outscored Penn State 6-2 over the next eight points to lead 18-12. Still leading by six (23-17), CSUN would close the set on a Hobus kill and a Salvador kill to force fourth set.
SET THREE WIN!
— CSUN Men's Volleyball (@CSUNMensVB) March 6, 2024
Matteo Salvador caps an incredible set with his 5th kill.#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/OWtIDyJ06q
- The Matadors could not carry the offensive momentum in the final set as the Nittany Lions hit .280 to CSUN's .111. After a trio of early ties, Penn State would lead by as many as three before extending the margin to six at 21-15. Still trailing by five at 22-17, Hobus stepped to the service line and served five straight points as a Penn State hitting error pulled CSUN even at 22-22. Two straight Penn State would wind up giving the visitors the margin they needed to hold off the Matadors' late rally in a 25-23 win.
ACCORDING TO COACH THEO EDWARDSFIVE STRAIGHT POINTS ??
— CSUN Men's Volleyball (@CSUNMensVB) March 6, 2024
The block from Jackson Payne and Jalen Phillips make it a one-point game.#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/zQVaT3HO59
"We came out incredibly flat and gave up some early leads which was disappointing. I think that as a team we're learning that if we want to be great, we can't have sustained periods where we don't play well. Then there are moments when we play like one of the best teams in the country but it's just not consistent enough.
"We played a challenging non-conference schedule for a reason and now it's time for us to put those lessons we learned into action as we start the Big West season."
UP NEXT
After wrapping up the non-conference portion of the 2024 schedule, CSUN will next turn its attention to the Big West season which gets underway Mar. 14 at UC San Diego. The Matadors will host the Tritons the following night (Mar. 15) at 6 p.m.
#GoMatadors
Team Stats
PSU
CSUN
Kills
42
44
Errors
17
20
Attempts
93
100
Hitting %
.269
.240
Points
50.0
60.0
Assists
41
40
Aces
2
5
Blocks
6
11
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
19
Aces
4
Blocks
6
Kills
8
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
S
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's VolleyballOPP
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's VolleyballCalHOPE Award Nathan Merren
Thursday, March 02
MVB vs. Stanford Highlights
Monday, February 20
A Conversation With Jeff Campbell
Thursday, May 28
National Student-Athlete Day 2019 - Ryan DeWeese
Friday, April 05