The No. 7 CSUN men’s volleyball team continued its impressive run, securing its eighth straight victory with a dominant straight-sets win (25-23, 25-16, 25-17) over Sacred Heart on Monday at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
CSUN (13-2) posted its best 15-match start since 2009, fueled by a season-best .542 hitting percentage. Eight different players contributed kills in the victory.
Balanced Attack Leads CSUN to Victory
Senior Lorenzo Bertozzi led the Matadors with nine kills, hitting .500 on 16 attacks. Sophomore Jalen Phillips delivered eight kills (.400) and matched his season-high with four aces, while freshman Stilian Delibosov was nearly flawless with seven kills and no errors, hitting .778 with four blocks.
Senior setter Donovan Constable orchestrated the offense with 31 assists, distributing the ball effectively as eight CSUN hitters recorded at least one kill. The Matadors committed just five attack errors on 59 swings, producing their highest efficiency of the season.
Set-by-Set Breakdown
- Set 1: CSUN used a 9-3 run to take a 15-9 lead, but Sacred Heart fought back to tie it at 19-19. With the score knotted at 23-23, Bertozzi delivered back-to-back kills to clinch the 25-23 win.
- Set 2: The Matadors cooled slightly but still hit .474 while holding Sacred Heart to just .042. A 6-0 CSUN run opened a commanding lead, and Joao Favarim’s kill sealed a 25-16 victory.
- Set 3: CSUN took control early, forcing an SHU timeout at 10-6. The Matadors maintained their momentum, finishing the match with a 10-6 run to claim a 25-17 win.
Coach Theo Edwards on the Performance
“I thought the guys played incredibly well and incredibly hard,” said head coach Theo Edwards. “We had a break before our last match and were a little out of sync, but tonight we found our rhythm again. Donovan was in great sync with his hitters, and it was nice to see our offense click.”
Next Up
CSUN faces its toughest challenge yet, hosting No. 1 Long Beach State in its Big West opener on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
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