Saturday, January 11
Santa Barbara, Calif.
2:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
3-0,0-0Big West
3
vs
1
Menlo
1-3,0-0MPSF
1
2
3
4
F
Menlo
26
19
22
23
1
CSUN
24
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Steve Fitzgerald
Behind 23 Kills from Phillips, No. 15 CSUN Holds Off Menlo in Four Sets
1/11/2025 5:47:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
GOLETA, Calif. – Behind a career-high 23 kills from sophomore Jalen Phillips, the 15th-ranked CSUN men's volleyball team held off Menlo College in four sets to complete an undefeated weekend at the UCSB ASICS Invitational Saturday at Rob Gym.
With the 24-26, 25-19, 25-22, 25-23 victory, CSUN improves to 3-0 on the young season while winning all three matches at UCSB's annual tournament for the first time since the 2018 season. Phillips led all hitters for the second straight match, putting down 23 kills on 40 swings to hit .475. He also added six blocks and five digs and was named to the All-Tournament Team alongside teammate Donovan Constable.
Constable led the Matador hitters to a combined .418 hitting clip in the three matches, including a .391 (58-15-110) percentage against Menlo. The senior from Clovis notched 43 assists, six blocks, five kills, and four digs in Saturday's win while also adding a pair of aces giving him nine in three matches.
Senior Lorenzo Bertozzi also reached double figures with 12 kills (.231) for CSUN, while freshman Stilian Delibosov capped an impressive debut weekend with eight kills (.375) and 11 blocks (one solo).
SET 1: MENLO 26, CSUN 24
The Matadors held a pair of two-point leads early on, the last at 11-9, before Menlo knotted the score at 11-11. A Phillips kill would give CSUN its last lead of the set at 16-15 when Menlo countered with a 5-2 run to open up a 20-18 advantage. Down by as many as four at 24-20, the Matadors saved four set points, highlighted by consecutive Constable-Delibosov blocks, forcing a Menlo timeout. The Oaks, however, answered with two straight kills coming out of the timeout to seal the 26-24 win.
SET 2: CSUN 25, MENLO 19
After hitting .370 in the opening set, CSUN committed just a pair of hitting errors in hitting .571 in taking set two by the score of 25-19. With the score tied 8-8, CSUN claimed four of the next five points to take a 12-9 lead following a Favarim-Phillips block. After Menlo closed to within one at 13-12, the Matadors engineered a 5-1 run to open up an 18-13 lead before ultimately winning by six (25-19).
SET 3: CSUN 25, MENLO 22
CSUN maintained its impressive hitting into the third set, connecting at a .519 clip in taking a 25-22 decision. After trailing by as many as three (10-7), the Matadors took their first lead since 2-1 when Delibosov connected out of the middle, giving CSUN a 16-15 edge. Menlo would battle back to tie the score for the final time at 20-20 when a Constable kill fueled a set-clinching 5-2 CSUN run.
SET 3: CSUN 25, MENLO 23
Neither team would hit well in the final set, but CSUN did enough to overcome a five-point deficit midway through the frame. Trailing 17-12, the Matadors used a 6-0 run to take an 18-17 lead when a Menlo attack went wide. The score would remain tied five times down the stretch, the last at 23-23, when kills by Phillips and Favarim sent the Matadors to the 25-23 win.
CSUN returns home next week to open the 2025 home schedule against Purdue Fort Wayne and Lindenwood as part of the 2025 Under Armour Challenge. The Matadors meet Purdue Fort Wayne Friday at 7 p.m., the match will be preceded by UC San Diego taking on Lindenwood at 4 p.m.
With the 24-26, 25-19, 25-22, 25-23 victory, CSUN improves to 3-0 on the young season while winning all three matches at UCSB's annual tournament for the first time since the 2018 season. Phillips led all hitters for the second straight match, putting down 23 kills on 40 swings to hit .475. He also added six blocks and five digs and was named to the All-Tournament Team alongside teammate Donovan Constable.
Constable led the Matador hitters to a combined .418 hitting clip in the three matches, including a .391 (58-15-110) percentage against Menlo. The senior from Clovis notched 43 assists, six blocks, five kills, and four digs in Saturday's win while also adding a pair of aces giving him nine in three matches.
Senior Lorenzo Bertozzi also reached double figures with 12 kills (.231) for CSUN, while freshman Stilian Delibosov capped an impressive debut weekend with eight kills (.375) and 11 blocks (one solo).
SET 1: MENLO 26, CSUN 24
The Matadors held a pair of two-point leads early on, the last at 11-9, before Menlo knotted the score at 11-11. A Phillips kill would give CSUN its last lead of the set at 16-15 when Menlo countered with a 5-2 run to open up a 20-18 advantage. Down by as many as four at 24-20, the Matadors saved four set points, highlighted by consecutive Constable-Delibosov blocks, forcing a Menlo timeout. The Oaks, however, answered with two straight kills coming out of the timeout to seal the 26-24 win.
SET 2: CSUN 25, MENLO 19
After hitting .370 in the opening set, CSUN committed just a pair of hitting errors in hitting .571 in taking set two by the score of 25-19. With the score tied 8-8, CSUN claimed four of the next five points to take a 12-9 lead following a Favarim-Phillips block. After Menlo closed to within one at 13-12, the Matadors engineered a 5-1 run to open up an 18-13 lead before ultimately winning by six (25-19).
SET 3: CSUN 25, MENLO 22
CSUN maintained its impressive hitting into the third set, connecting at a .519 clip in taking a 25-22 decision. After trailing by as many as three (10-7), the Matadors took their first lead since 2-1 when Delibosov connected out of the middle, giving CSUN a 16-15 edge. Menlo would battle back to tie the score for the final time at 20-20 when a Constable kill fueled a set-clinching 5-2 CSUN run.
SET 3: CSUN 25, MENLO 23
Neither team would hit well in the final set, but CSUN did enough to overcome a five-point deficit midway through the frame. Trailing 17-12, the Matadors used a 6-0 run to take an 18-17 lead when a Menlo attack went wide. The score would remain tied five times down the stretch, the last at 23-23, when kills by Phillips and Favarim sent the Matadors to the 25-23 win.
NOTES
- With the win, CSUN improves to 4-1 all-time against Menlo.
- CSUN also improves to 56-37 all-time at the UCSB ASICS Invitational.
- The loss drops the Oaks to 1-3 on the season.
HEAD COACH THEO EDWARDS SAID
"Shout out to our passers today. Menlo put a lot of pressure on us, but Chris (Karnezis), Joao (Avila), and Lorenzo did a great job of handling it and keeping us in system. That allowed us to get the ball to our middles, Stilian and Joao (Favarim) were able to get a combined 24 total attempts, which means we're passing the ball well. Menlo played really tough and challenged us but the team that stays more in-system usually wins. There were moments in sets three and four where Boaz (Serson) was able to sub-in and bring some life to the team; he was a real difference-maker. It's a nice start to the season and we're looking forward to being at home next week."
CSUN returns home next week to open the 2025 home schedule against Purdue Fort Wayne and Lindenwood as part of the 2025 Under Armour Challenge. The Matadors meet Purdue Fort Wayne Friday at 7 p.m., the match will be preceded by UC San Diego taking on Lindenwood at 4 p.m.
Team Stats
Menlo
CSUN
Kills
46
58
Errors
25
15
Attempts
107
110
Hitting %
.196
.391
Points
60.0
79.0
Assists
46
51
Aces
6
3
Blocks
8
18
Game Leaders
Kills
23
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
11
Kills
5
Aces
2
Blocks
6
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's VolleyballMB
/ Men's Volleyball
OPP
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