After beating USC, the CSUN men’s volleyball team would once again fall in the losing column, this time faltering against Cal Baptist in five sets (14-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-27, 14-16).
They are now 1-3 on the road and 8-5 overall.
Despite recording more kills than the Lancers, the Matadors couldn’t hold sustain their success in the final two sets.
Junior outside hitter Jakub Ciesla recorded 27 kills, one ace and eight digs. He now holds a .303 hitting percentage on the season. His 27 kills marked a season high. Now with a total of 167, he is 13 short of last season when he finished 3rd on the team in kills. He also hit a season high 30 points.
Also contributing to the teams’ battle was sophomore middle blocker Josiah Byers who collected 11 kills, nine blocks and one assist. Byers earned a season high of 16 points against the Lancers.
After losing the first set, the Matadors looked to be making a strong comeback winning the next two sets. Overall, they outscored the Lancers 79.5 to 74, but Ciesla’s and Byer’s last second kills weren’t enough to stop Cal Baptist from taking the last two sets, earning the victory.
The Lancers recorded six errors in the fourth set and three in the fifth, more than the Matadors’ four and two. On paper, CSUN battled harder but Baptists’ two point margin was more than enough.
CSUN returns to the Matadome for a two-game home stretch against UC Irvine and UC San Diego on Wednesday, Feb. 17 and Friday, 19.
