The CSUN men's volleyball team (sixth seed) engaged in a fierce battle against the third-seeded UC Irvine Anteaters in the first round of the Outrigger Big West Championship. In an exhausting match played on Thursday night at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, CSUN fell 3-2 (25-22, 18-25, 25-16, 23-25, 17-19) after five sets.
CSUN (finishing the season with an 18-11 record) was led by Jalen Phillips, who tied his career high with 27 kills, hitting 36.4% efficiency on 55 attempts.Stiliyan Delibosov performed strongly, adding 13 kills with an impressive 76.5% success rate on 17 attempts. The U20 European Championship silver medalist finished with 18 points (2 aces, 3 blocks).Lorenzo Bertozzi recorded a double-double with 11 kills (17.2%) and 10 successful digs, which was the best achievement in the match.
In his final match wearing the Matadors jersey, senior setter Donovan Constable finished with 55 assists, to which he added three digs and three blocks. As a team, CSUN achieved a 35.9% hitting efficiency. The Matadors scored seven aces, with Delibosov, Phillips, and Boaz Serex each recording two. The team finished the match with a total of 46 team digs.
Set-by-set breakdown:
Set 1:CSUN started strong, taking a 4-0 lead and maintaining an advantage for most of the set thanks to their superior hitting efficiency (44.4% vs. 26.5%). Although Irvine managed to tie at 18-18 and 20-20, CSUN won five of the last seven points to take the set 25-22.
Set 2:UC Irvine responded powerfully, dominating in attack (53.6% vs. 20.6% for CSUN). The Anteaters quickly built a lead, reaching 17-9, and eventually closed the set at 25-18, tying the match.
Set 3:CSUN regained control. After trailing 6-5, a series of strong plays, including aces by Phillips and Serex, as well as good attacks by Delibosov, helped the Matadors take the lead. CSUN maintained a comfortable advantage, and with an ace from Avila, reached 24-16, closing the set 25-16.
Set 4:UC Irvine took an early 7-2 lead and maintained their advantage. Although CSUN managed to reduce the deficit to one point at 23-22 after a strong run, the Anteaters managed to execute their next attack and win the set 25-23, sending the match to a decisive fifth set.
Set 5:The final set was extremely competitive. CSUN led 4-2 and later 10-6. UC Irvine managed to tie at 10-10, and the score remained tied until 13-13. Jalen Phillips gave CSUN four match point opportunities at 14-13, 15-14, 16-15, and 17-16, but UC Irvine saved all of them. Ultimately, the Anteaters won the last three points to prevail 19-17 and win the match 3-2.
CSUN's loss means that Kristian Titriyski and the Hawaii team (Rainbow Warriors) will not face their compatriot Stiliyan Delibosov and the CSUN team in the tournament semifinals. Instead, the Rainbow Warriors will seek a spot in the final against the Irvine team, which eliminated CSUN.
