The No. 6 seed Matadors took on UC Irvine in the Outrigger Big West Championship Quarterfinals, attempting to take down the No. 3 seed Anteaters in a Thursday night thriller. CSUN’s season ultimately ended after a 3-1 loss in UCI’s homecourt.
After losing the first set 25-20 to the Anteaters, the Matadors sought to regroup and reload for the second set. The Matadors got off to a hot start in the second set, with CSUN getting into a 3-1 lead.
The Anteaters quickly responded in many short rallies, taking the lead from the Matadors and leaving the match at 7-4.
The rallies between the Matadors and the Anteaters were very short and efficient, ending with just the serve. However, during the rally for their eighth point, CSUN outside hitter Jordan Lucas made his presence known by spiking the ball down hard and showing Anteater fans some of his signature electricity on the court.
“I think being positive is something that I’ve really embraced, especially over this last year,” Lucas said. “If I can be that kind of spark plug and, you know, switch the momentum our way … you have to create some type of energy, some type of force, especially for us in a match like this.”
The Matadors tied the matchup at 10-10 when outside hitter Joao Avila earned his second kill of the game. This gave the Matadors a brief lead before the Anteaters would tie the game back up.
Lucas, once again, showed his dominance at the top of the net spiking the ball down on the Anteaters, leaving them little room to recover.
CSUN setter Owen Douphner managed to sprint all the way to the edge of the court, narrowly saving what would have been a point for the Anteaters and sending the ball back to the other side of the court.
A massive block occurred by middle blocker Joao Favarim and opposite Jalen Phillips. After this play, the Matadors got another point on the board, destroying the three-point deficit they once found themselves in and tying up the match at 16-16.
Both teams took and gave points respectively, leaving the game tied at 18-18.
Lucas added onto his kills by earning his fifth on the night, getting another point for the Matadors. Shortly thereafter, Favarim and Douphner blocked what would have been the tying score for the Anteaters, putting the game at 18-20. With this newfound momentum, the Matadors found themselves in a large lead and took the electrifying second set 25-20.
CSUN found themselves in a sizable deficit of 9-5 in the third set when head coach Theo Edwards called a timeout in order to help inspire his team. While the Matadors fought hard to earn points, the Anteaters displayed why they are the third seed in the Big West.
After some hard fought rallies, the Matadors came up short in set three, losing 25-16.
The fourth set began with back and forth rallies between the two teams before CSUN pulled away with a 6-9 lead. This was short lived as the teams tied up the game once more.
With very few leads in this set, the Matadors found themselves in a win or go home situation tied at 19-19.
Tension and restlessness built in the air as the back and forth scoring continued, a point for the Matadors, a point for UCI and another for the Matadors. The score was 23-23 and the teams needed a significant lead in order to win the set. The intensity only rose in the Bren Events Center each time a point was scored.
The entire crowd was on their feet and roaring as the arena had taken on another level of excitement. The game was ultimately decided by a serve from Irvine, with the final score being 25-23, ending the Matadors season and sending them home.
Edwards took a moment after the game to circle up his team to shake the hand or hug each and every member, including the staff.
“All we do is create a space for these guys to be themselves,” Edwards said. “These guys wear their hearts on their sleeves. They were a family through and through.”
