Friday, April 19
Manoa, HI
7:30 PM
California State University at Northridge
13-16,3-7Big West
1
vs
3
Long Beach State
24-2,9-1Big West
1
2
3
4
F
CSUN
23
25
20
22
1
Long Beach St.
25
22
25
25
3
Photo by: Jay Metzger
CSUN's Season Ends in Big West Semifinal Loss to Long Beach State
4/19/2024 10:11:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
HONOLULU, O'ahu – No. 5 seed CSUN gave top-seed Long Beach State all it could handle but the Matadors came up short in a four-set loss in the Outrigger Big West Championship semifinals Friday night at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The 25-23, 22-25, 25-20, 25-22 Long Beach State win ends CSUN's season at 13-16 overall while the Beach advance to Saturday's Big West championship match. The Matadors reached the Big West semifinals for the first time since 2018, when they also lost to Long Beach State at the Walter Pyramid.
Freshman Jalen Phillips had an impressive first postseason run for CSUN. After leading all hitters with 15 kills (.417) in Friday's 3-0 win over UC San Diego, Phillips had a match-high 19 kills, hitting .275 on a season-high 40 swings against the Beach. Seniors Kyle Hobus and Griffin Walters each put down 13 kills in their final appearances for the Matadors. Walters hit .207 on 29 swings to go with five digs and one ace while Hobus hit .200 on 25 attacks along with six digs and a pair of blocks.
Matador setter Donovan Constable posted 49 assists, four digs, three aces, and a pair of kills in the season finale while redshirt freshman Chris Karnezis scooped up a season-high 14 digs for CSUN in the loss.
The Matadors would hit over .300 in each of the first two sets, but hit .037 in set three and .233 in set four to finish the match at .252 (54-24-119). The Beach wound up hitting .358 (54-15-109) while also out-blocking the Matadors 11 to 3.5. Behind Karnezis' match-high 14 digs, CSUN posted a 34-26 edge in digs and the Matadors also had a 5-3 lead in aces.
HOW IT HAPPENED
HEAD COACH THEO EDWARDS SAID
"We're bummed that the season is over but if you look at where we were when this season started to where we are now, the growth has been tremendous. Every single set tonight was two or three points and when this year started we weren't close and by the end we were. Incredibly proud of this team, it's been a really special year."
#GoMatadors
The 25-23, 22-25, 25-20, 25-22 Long Beach State win ends CSUN's season at 13-16 overall while the Beach advance to Saturday's Big West championship match. The Matadors reached the Big West semifinals for the first time since 2018, when they also lost to Long Beach State at the Walter Pyramid.
Freshman Jalen Phillips had an impressive first postseason run for CSUN. After leading all hitters with 15 kills (.417) in Friday's 3-0 win over UC San Diego, Phillips had a match-high 19 kills, hitting .275 on a season-high 40 swings against the Beach. Seniors Kyle Hobus and Griffin Walters each put down 13 kills in their final appearances for the Matadors. Walters hit .207 on 29 swings to go with five digs and one ace while Hobus hit .200 on 25 attacks along with six digs and a pair of blocks.
Matador setter Donovan Constable posted 49 assists, four digs, three aces, and a pair of kills in the season finale while redshirt freshman Chris Karnezis scooped up a season-high 14 digs for CSUN in the loss.
The Matadors would hit over .300 in each of the first two sets, but hit .037 in set three and .233 in set four to finish the match at .252 (54-24-119). The Beach wound up hitting .358 (54-15-109) while also out-blocking the Matadors 11 to 3.5. Behind Karnezis' match-high 14 digs, CSUN posted a 34-26 edge in digs and the Matadors also had a 5-3 lead in aces.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The two teams played to a total of 38 ties in the match, including 10 in the opening set. CSUN would claim four of the first points before the Beach pulled even at 8-8. A Clarke Godbold kill put Long Beach up one and the Beach carried a one-point lead (15-14) into the media timeout. A Hobus kill out of the timeout evened the score, and CSUN remained even at 17-17 and 18-18 when a Phillips/Nir Eitan block and a Hobus kill put the Matadors up 20-18. CSUN would still hold a two-point lead at 22-20 when Long Beach claimed five of the final six points to pull out a 25-23 win.
- The second set saw the Matadors pull off the late comeback. CSUN would overcome several two-point Long Beach leads in the early stages to take its first lead at 16-15 following a Constable ace. The Beach countered with a 4-0 run to take the lead back at 19-16. The Matadors answered with a 6-3 run to knot the score at 22-22 on a Walters kill. Following a Long Beach timeout, CSUN scored the final three points to take the set 25-22.
CSUN TAKES SET TWO!
— CSUN Men's Volleyball (@CSUNMensVB) April 20, 2024
Five straight points to clinch it, including three kills from Walters.#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/W4QSkU2IGr
- Despite hitting .037 in the set, the Matadors had Long Beach locked in a 19-19 tie in the final stages of set three. A Skyler Varga kill however fueled a 5-0 run that put Long Beach comfortably in front 24-19. A Walters kill saved one set point before Godbold connected for a kill sending the Beach to the 25-20 win.
- The final set would feature a match-high 14 ties as the Matadors jumped out to an early 3-1 lead. With the score tied at 3-3, the Beach went on a 4-1 run to force a CSUN timeout at 7-4. The Matadors scored three straight out of the timeout and the score remained tied at 11-11. Neither team would hold more than a one-point lead until a Varga kill opened up an 18-16 Long Beach lead. A beach service error and a Walters kill would tie the score which was also tied at 19-19, 21-21, and 22-22 when Long Beach claimed the final three points in a 25-22 win.
HEAD COACH THEO EDWARDS SAID
"We're bummed that the season is over but if you look at where we were when this season started to where we are now, the growth has been tremendous. Every single set tonight was two or three points and when this year started we weren't close and by the end we were. Incredibly proud of this team, it's been a really special year."
#GoMatadors
Team Stats
CSUN
LBSU
Kills
54
54
Errors
24
15
Attempts
119
109
Hitting %
.252
.358
Points
62.5
68.0
Assists
52
52
Aces
5
3
Blocks
3.5
11
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
19
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
13
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
5
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's VolleyballOPP
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's VolleyballCalHOPE Award Nathan Merren
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