Friday, April 4
Northridge, Calif.
6:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
16-7,1-4Big West
3
vs
0
Hawai'i
21-3,4-1Big West
1
2
3
F
Hawaii
17
20
20
0
CSUN
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Steve Fitzgerald
No. 9 Matadors Take Down No. 5 Hawai'i in 3-0 Sweep
4/4/2025 9:36:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – The 9th-ranked CSUN Men's Volleyball team hit over .500 for the second time this season as the Matadors picked up their first Big West win with a straight-set victory over No. 5 Hawai'i in a Big West match on Friday at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
With the 25-17, 25-20, 25-20 win, the Matadors improve to 16-7 on the season and 1-4 in the Big West. CSUN handed the Rainbow Warriors (21-3, 4-1) their first road loss as well as their first Big West defeat.
Sophomore opposite Jalen Phillips led all hitters in the match with 16 kills, hitting .414 on 29 swings. Phillips was one of four Matador hitters to hit .400 or better on the night. Freshman Joao Avila added 10 kills on .692 hitting, reaching double digits for the first time this season. Avila also added a pair of aces and two digs.
In addition to Phillips and Avila, senior Lorenzo Bertozzi hit .538 with seven kills and freshman Stilian Delibosov hit .455 with six kills on 11 attacks. Shane Nhem made his third start at middle blocker and hit .333 with three kills on six swings to go with three blocks and one ace. Senior setter Donovan Constable set the Matadors to a .507 hitting clip as he posted 34 assists to go with three kills, four digs and three blocks.
CSUN wound up with 9.5 blocks, all in the first two sets, in limiting the Rainbow Warriors to a .219 hitting clip. The Matadors also posted a 3-1 advantages in aces.
S1 l CSUN 25, UH 17 – After a Delibosov kill gave CSUN an 8-7 lead, Hawai'i used a three-point run to take a 10-8 lead. The Matadors responded with a 5-0 run, capped by a Constable kill, to lead 13-10. CSUN, which hit ,476 in the frame, would extend the lead to 18-14 forcing a UH timeout. An Avila ace set CSUN up with set point at 23-17 and Constable's ace closed out the eight-point win.
"I think the guys are starting to believe in themselves. We were working through some stuff last week and as surprising as tonight seems, I'm not that surprised. This team can do some special things on any given night, and tonight was special. When you go through some losses, especially following some of the highs that we've seen, it's hard and you need to dig deep and the guys put it on today. The focus was there, the execution was fantastic and I'm super proud of them."
UP NEXT
CSUN concludes the two-match Big West series with the Rainbow Warriors on Saturday. First serve at Premier America Credit Union Arena is set for 7 p.m.
#GoMatadors
With the 25-17, 25-20, 25-20 win, the Matadors improve to 16-7 on the season and 1-4 in the Big West. CSUN handed the Rainbow Warriors (21-3, 4-1) their first road loss as well as their first Big West defeat.
Sophomore opposite Jalen Phillips led all hitters in the match with 16 kills, hitting .414 on 29 swings. Phillips was one of four Matador hitters to hit .400 or better on the night. Freshman Joao Avila added 10 kills on .692 hitting, reaching double digits for the first time this season. Avila also added a pair of aces and two digs.
In addition to Phillips and Avila, senior Lorenzo Bertozzi hit .538 with seven kills and freshman Stilian Delibosov hit .455 with six kills on 11 attacks. Shane Nhem made his third start at middle blocker and hit .333 with three kills on six swings to go with three blocks and one ace. Senior setter Donovan Constable set the Matadors to a .507 hitting clip as he posted 34 assists to go with three kills, four digs and three blocks.
CSUN wound up with 9.5 blocks, all in the first two sets, in limiting the Rainbow Warriors to a .219 hitting clip. The Matadors also posted a 3-1 advantages in aces.
S1 l CSUN 25, UH 17 – After a Delibosov kill gave CSUN an 8-7 lead, Hawai'i used a three-point run to take a 10-8 lead. The Matadors responded with a 5-0 run, capped by a Constable kill, to lead 13-10. CSUN, which hit ,476 in the frame, would extend the lead to 18-14 forcing a UH timeout. An Avila ace set CSUN up with set point at 23-17 and Constable's ace closed out the eight-point win.
S2 l CSUN 25, UH 20 – the Matadors owned a pair of one-point leads early in the second set before an Avila kill and a Hawai'i hitting error opened up a 15-11 lead at the media timeout. CSUN would lead by as many as four at 16-12 and 18-14 before the Warriors scored twice to trim the lead to 18-16. The Matadors would then claim five of the next eight points to lead 23-19 following a Bertozzi kill. Delibosov's put up a solo block on set point to send CSUN to the 25-20 win.SET ONE WIN!
— CSUN Men's Volleyball (@CSUNMensVB) April 5, 2025
CSUN takes the opening frame of this top-10 matchup, 25-17.#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/AwhGKIkZNK
S3 l CSUN 25, UH 20 – The Matadors opened up an 18-13 lead after Avila's second ace before the visitors rallied back to within two (22-20) following a 7-3 run. A pair of Phillips kills coming out of a Matador timeout propelled CSUN on a match-clinching 3-0 run that was capped by Delibosov putting down a Hawai'i overpass on match point.THE BOYS CAME TO PLAY.
— CSUN Men's Volleyball (@CSUNMensVB) April 5, 2025
#9 CSUN takes a 2-0 lead after a 25-20 win over #5 Hawai'i in set two.#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/HPPSVb1ukM
HEAD COACH THEO EDWARDS SAIDDOWN GOES #5 HAWAI'I!
— CSUN Men's Volleyball (@CSUNMensVB) April 5, 2025
CSUN dominates, 25-17, 25-20, 25-20 for the massive @BigWestSports win.#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/aSMIPzON7q
"I think the guys are starting to believe in themselves. We were working through some stuff last week and as surprising as tonight seems, I'm not that surprised. This team can do some special things on any given night, and tonight was special. When you go through some losses, especially following some of the highs that we've seen, it's hard and you need to dig deep and the guys put it on today. The focus was there, the execution was fantastic and I'm super proud of them."
UP NEXT
CSUN concludes the two-match Big West series with the Rainbow Warriors on Saturday. First serve at Premier America Credit Union Arena is set for 7 p.m.
#GoMatadors
Team Stats
Hawaii
CSUN
Kills
30
45
Errors
16
7
Attempts
64
75
Hitting %
.219
.507
Points
34.0
57.5
Assists
28
39
Aces
1
3
Blocks
3
9.5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's VolleyballMB
/ Men's Volleyball
OPP
/ Men's VolleyballOPP
/ Men's VolleyballCalHOPE Award Nathan Merren
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