California State University at Northridge
5-2,0-0Big West
UCLA
4-1,0-0MPSF
Matadors Fall in Four Sets to Third-Ranked UCLA
1/24/2025 9:33:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
Set scores were 25-15, 23-25, 25-12, 25-17 as the Bruins improve to 4-1 on the season while CSUN slips to 5-2.
The Matadors struggled offensively as a team, hitting .082 (32-24-98) as Phillips was the lone CSUN hitter to reach double figures in kills. Phillips hit .143 on 35 swings to go with four blocks while Joao Avila added five kills (.214) and four digs. Freshman Boaz Serson had the first multi-ace match of his career after serving three in the loss.
Senior setter Donovan Constable matched Serson with three aces while also 23 assists, six digs, and four kills on .500 hitting. Sophomore Trevor Lau also notched his first collegiate ace as CSUN had seven as a team.
The visiting Bruins wound up hitting .364 (47-15-88) as a team while also leading in aces (12-7), digs (32-23), and blocks (13-5).
SET 1: UCLA 25, CSUN 15
UCLA opened the match scoring the first six points before Lorenzo Bertozzi connected for a kill coming out of an early CSUN timeout. Constable's ensuing ace pulled the Matadors within four (6-2) but the Bruins would outscore CSUN 7-3 over the next 10 points to extend the margin to eight at 13-5. Three straight Bruin kills extended the lead to 18-9 forcing CSUN's final timeout. Nine points would be as close as the Matadors would get as the visitors closed out a 25-15 win.
SET 2: CSUN 25, UCLA 23
UCLA again jumped out to a quick start, leading 5-1 after six points. A Joao Favarim block would cap a 6-4 CSUN run that trimmed the deficit to 9-7. The Matadors were still within two at 10-8 when Constable served back-to-back aces tying the score while forcing a UCLA timeout. The teams then played to an 18-18 tie when the Bruins used a 3-1 run to open up a 21-19 edge. A Phillips kill and a UCLA hitting error tied the score which remained tied at 23-23, the eighth tie of the set. The Bruins then missed a serve and CSUN cashed in set point on a UCLA hitting error.
CSUN WINS SET TWO!
— CSUN Men's Volleyball (@CSUNMensVB) January 25, 2025
The home team takes 6 of the last 8 points to knot the match at 1-1.#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/xLHxjnxsyX
SET 3: UCLA 25, CSUN 12
The Bruins would out-hit the Matadors .318 to .042 over the final two sets to win going away. A UCLA hitting error gave CSUN an 8-5 lead in the third before the visitors would outscore the Matadors 15-2 over the next 17 points to open up a 20-10 advantage. UCLA would claim 14 of 15 the points during the run and would go on to close out a 25-12 win.
SET 4: UCLA 25, CSUN 15
With the score tied at 6-6 in the final set, UCLA would claim four straight before Lau's ace pulled the Matadors within two at 10-8. The Bruins responded with a 7-3 run to open up a 17-11 lead and would only get within five points to remainder of the set.
HEAD COACH THEO EDWARDS SAID
"I thought we played tough tonight. A couple guys, Hank and Trevor, got their first opportunities and they did a great job. Tip your hat to UCLA, they served incredibly well and attacked the ball pretty darn well. There were moments there where I felt like our inexperience showed and my hope is that we learn from this and use it to help propel us into next week."
UP NEXT
CSUN hits the road for its next two matches as the Matadors travel to the East Coast to meet St. Thomas Aquinas and George Mason in Fairfax, Va.
#GoMatadors
