After moving up to the No. 13 ranking in the nation for the first time in almost two years, the CSUN men’s volleyball team (10-2) went back and forth all night in a non-conference match against Jessup University (4-3) to secure a win on Friday night.
Jessup’s team is in its inaugural season, and while the Matadors took an early 10-point lead to win set one 25-15, the Warriors turned up the heat and gave CSUN a challenge for the rest of the match.
Entering and following the second set, the two teams battled between tying and leading the match. The Warriors took their first lead of the night and won the set to make it a tie match.
Jessup head coach Kyle Steele said his team watched a lot of films to prepare for the Friday night matchup and had to make adjustments in the first couple of sets.
“I thought our offense could be a little bit better. Early on, we didn’t quite play with as much intensity on defense as we needed to,” Steele said.
After settling into the match and taking set two with a tight score of 25-22, the Warriors opened up the scoring again in set three.
CSUN head coach Theo Edwards said he was proud of how his team responded.
“We had a couple [of] guys where it was their first time starting, and so it was tough,” Edwards said. “I thought Jessup did a really fantastic job. They were serving really tough, they put some pressure on us, and you know, we made a couple of adjustments. I thought the guys who went in did a great job.”
The Matadors and Warriors continued to fight for the lead, but CSUN rallied for an eight-point lead to win the set 25-17 and inch closer to a win.
CSUN setter Donovan Constable is coming off receiving Big West Setter of the Week for the third time this season and was one of the Matadors game leaders in aces, blocks, assists and digs.
The Matadors’ leader on the court, Constable, took charge and helped the team regain their normal rhythm.
“To be honest, we just decided that we needed to play together. I think we were playing as a bunch of individuals, so once we played together, the energy was very cohesive,” Constable said.
For much of the fourth set, the two teams alternated between one—and three-point leads until CSUN gained an eight-point lead over Jessup. The Matadors eventually won 25-17 to finalize their defeat of the Warriors.
CSUN outside hitter Trevor Lau said this match helped the team prepare for the six-match homestand they have just entered.
“I think this match was great because they took a set off of us [which] really like made us step up our game, especially with GCU coming up next week,” Lau said. “It honestly might’ve helped us to lose one set.”
Edwards explained the significance of non-conference games like this one and repeated the importance of consistency.
“They’re great. You know, we’ve seen a variety of different styles of volleyball, and it’s given us opportunities to grow and just improve from it,” Edwards said.
CSUN will next play Grand Canyon University on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m. at the Premier America Credit Union Arena.
