Following a 3-0 loss against Long Beach State, the CSUN men’s volleyball team regained its flow, securing a gentleman’s sweep victory over No. 19 Princeton Tigers on Wednesday night at the Premier America Credit Union Arena.
After the victory, the Matadors have a record of 14-3, still holding onto their No. 7 spot in the country despite losing to the top team the previous week.
Despite some challenges, CSUN head coach, Theo Edwards is proud of the Matadors for acquiring another win, especially after a few players got sick, which interfered with implementing new game strategies to prevent future losses.
“We’ve been trying to make a few adjustments, but a lot of the guys have been sick and so a lot of the adjustments that we were hoping to make, we didn’t get to practice them very much,” Edwards said.
During the first set, middle blocker Stilian Delibosov scored four consecutive points, one of them being an ace, making it 9-5. The Matadors would keep their distance the rest of the way in the first set.
Although the Matadors won the first set in a tight one, 29-27, and the second set, 26-24, the Tigers would not go down without a fight. Princeton created a challenge for the Matadors as they dropped the third set 25-22.
The Matadors shrugged off the loss and got a great start in the fourth set. Outside hitter Joao Avila led the way with consistent serves, taking an early 6-0 lead over the Tigers.
CSUN used that early lead to stay ahead against Princeton. Delibosov closed out the fourth set by making a kill, 25- 20.
“I [feel] like we continue to improve and sometimes you just [have to] battle through some games and find a way to win and I thought we did great at that,” Edwards said.
Donovan Constable, was proud of the team’s performance despite a few serving errors that allowed Princeton to catch up.
“We weren’t super comfortable in the service line tonight and I think that’s why we got in trouble at the end of sets but their service pressure was pretty good. We ended up getting the job done so that’s all that matters,” Constable said.
Edwards and Constable were both pleased with the win against Princeton and applauded the team for their efforts in the tough match.
“I thought Stilian was fantastic. He hit 684 [in] 19 sets. Joao Favrarim [middle blocker, 20] hit 750 on 12 swings. I thought Jalen [Phillips, opposite, 18] was eclectic. The passers did a great job of keeping us in system. In general, we played really well, ” Edwards said.
CSUN will seek revenge against Long Beach State on Friday, March 14, at 7 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
