Over the past weekend, CSUN men’s volleyball and women’s water polo both took trips on the road. Men’s volleyball hit the east coast to Fairfax, Virginia, for a two-game set in the Uvaldo Acosta Memorial Tournament. Women’s water polo took a short ride to Thousand Oaks to compete in the Cal Lutheran Invitational.
Men’s volleyball
In their first tournament matchup, the Matadors (6-2) took on a Division II program in St. Thomas Aquinas College (3-5). This was the first time the two teams had ever met, and CSUN took this match convincingly, sweeping the Spartans 3-0.
In the first set, the Matadors were fueled by an 8-2 run in the middle to put them up 22-12; CSUN eventually scored the last three points of the match to grab a win, 25-15.
The following two sets had the same results for the Matadors. The Spartans took an early lead in the second set, but the Matadors went on multiple runs, with their biggest run being a 5-0 run to capture a 25-17 win.
The third set was statistically the closest, but the key to the Matadors’ victory was their ability to go on runs in competitive sets against St. Thomas Aquinas. CSUN propelled their way to the sweep, winning 25-19.
CSUN dominated in every statistical category. The most glaring differentials were the aces and blocks, as the Matadors had seven aces compared to the Spartans’ two. The Matadors led 9-4 in blocks.
Donovan Constable led the way in assists by a large margin with 27 while recording four aces. Bertozzi finished with just five kills after having four in the first set alone.
The next matchup for the Matadors would not be as easy for them as they took on the Patriots. Another ranked matchup after falling to two ranked teams, USC and UCLA. The Matadors were destined to grab their first-ranked win of the year.
The first set was a tight battle, with multiple runs from both sides. At one point, trailing 23-21, the Matadors went on a 4-0 run to secure the set. A Joao Favarim kill finished the run. CSUN took the first bout, 25-23.
The second set had the same score result, as the Matadors won 25-23 yet again. CSUN had to scratch and crawl their way to victory in this one as GMU took an early 8-4 lead. With a score of 23-22, the Matadors used another late run, starting with a Bertozzi kill and capped off with a Jalen Phillips kill.
As the third set commenced, the Matadors fell behind early, forcing them to call a second timeout, which they had previously used their first in the second set. The timeout was beneficial, as the Matadors fought back from a six-point deficit, leading late 24-22. However, this time, the Patriots went on a late run, taking the set 26-24, handing the Matadors their first set loss in both matchups.
There was no panic button pressed for the Matadors in this one as they completed their goal of getting their first-ranked win of the year, dominating the fourth and final set, 25-16. Phillips was the hero in this one as he put the final nail in the coffin with a kill.
Phillips flourished in this one with 22 kills. Meanwhile, Bertozzi had 14 of his own. Constable collected 45 assists, a very impressive outing. He finished with 72 assists overall in two games.
Women’s water polo
Moving on to water polo, the Matadors took on the Cal Lutheran Regals (0-5), a division III school. CSUN was looking to win its fourth straight game.
The Matadors’ start against the winless Regels was slow. After the first period, they led 3-2. However, they solely dominated the second period, holding CLU to zero points while scoring four goals, taking a 6-2 lead into the half.
Dorottya Telek was held scoreless in the first half, as Kianna Melvin and Helena Sandhagen carried the offensive weight, combining for five first-half goals.
As the second half kicked off, Telek redeemed herself with a huge third period, netting three of the Matadors’ five goals. The fourth period was all CSUN as they outscored the Regels 7-3, securing a 19-8 victory.
Telek finished with six points, scoring four goals and recording two assists. Anna Pal finished with the same points, recording identical stats as Telek.
The Matadors faced a quick turnaround as they took on division II school Azusa Pacific University (2-5) right after their match with the CLU concluded.
The match commenced with the Matadors taking a strong 6-3 advantage after the first period. Telek was unstoppable in the first half, scoring a hat trick all within the opening period.
The Matadors were on cruise control in the second period, outscoring APU 4-2 taking a 10-5 lead at the break. Telek led the way with four first-half goals.
The second half was tight as CSUN narrowly outscored APU 4-3 in the third period, with Telek opening up the scoring at the 7:15 minute mark. The final period was a deadlocked score of 3-3, with CSUN dominant in the first half, which allowed them some cushion in the second half.
Sandhagen scored the final goal for the Matadors at the 2:51-minute mark. Although APU scored the game’s last two goals, it wasn’t enough to close in on CSUN as they secured their fifth straight win, 17-11.
One thing to note is that the Matadors, who currently stand at 7-1, have been off to their best start since the 2013 season.
