After 28 grueling matches, countless rotations of players and a plethora of injuries the Matadors’ men’s volleyball team finishes their season ninth in the MPSF. The Matadors had a 10-18 overall record this season and 7-15 in the MPSF.
For the third straight year, the Matadors did not qualify for the MPSF Tournament. The last time they did so was in 2012, when they went to the quarterfinals and were swept by USC. This is also the third year in a row they have ended their season against Long Beach, all three resulted in a loss. This season, that loss completed a three-match losing streak. Though they did not end on a high note, there were some memorable moments this season.
One of the greatest moments this season was the upset CSUN had over USC on March 18. The Matadors’ 3-1 (21-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-27) victory over the No. 7 Trojans put an end to their eight game losing streak (along with a previous win against Harvard at the Asics Tournament in Long Beach on March 14). The upset spurred a two-game win-streak that was ended by the No. 3 Pepperdine Waves.
That eight-game losing streak began Friday, Feb. 6 against UCLA, when they lost three-sets-to-one. It continued until their final loss against the No. 15 Penn State at the Asics Tournament in Long Beach, when they were swept by the Lions.
Early on in the season, there were players that stood above the rest and set the standard for their teammates to follow. Of those was junior outside hitter Sam Holt. Being the offensive leader of his team, the junior often led both in kills and attempts. What looked like a promising season changed when CSUN faced No. 7 Hawai’i on Feb. 22. Suffering a high ankle sprain, the outside hitter had to be taken from the court during the series’ finale and did not play an entire match the rest of the season. He returned after five matches, in which he played for the set point against Cal Baptist on March 20.
Throughout the season, senior setter Travis Magorien battled his own knees to play and even missed the match against UCLA on March 3. The starter and vital member in the Matador line up was able to finish the season and is now number seven on CSUN’s Career Assists list.
Also making a very important list for the Matadors was senior middle back Greg Faulkner. The senior was named an All-MPSF Honorable Mention, his second year in a row. Faulkner led the Matadors in both hitting and blocking this season.
Injuries hit all of the Matadors and impacted their season as a team. It caused constant changes; rotations to always be rotating. New line-ups were always being tested and it took until the second half of the season for CSUN to really figure out what worked. Though their record may not reflect it, the quality of the matches and the attitude in each player made it a season for the books.
