The UC Irvine Men’s Volleyball team (16-10, 6-4) defeated the Cal State Northridge Matadors (12-15, 1-9) in the first round of the Big West Championships at the Bren Events Center on Thursday, April 20.
Irvine started the first set at a blistering pace, as freshman middle blocker Maxim Grigoriev hammered the ball down for the first kill of the match. The Anteaters quickly ripped off three straight points, starting with a 4-0 advantage before the Matadors responded. CSUN redshirt junior outside hitter Kyle Hobus blasted a ball out of bounds off of UCI’s block, giving CSUN their first point.
This didn’t slow the ‘Eaters down, though, as they responded promptly with a service ace by junior opposite/outside hitter Francesco Sani, who blasted the passers for the Matadors, culminating in a beautiful right back corner ace. This forced Northridge to take a timeout, putting the ‘Eaters ahead 7-1.
The ‘Eaters continued on the attack as Sani got Irvine to a 15-9 advantage with a powerful tool off of an incredible one-handed save by sophomore outside hitter Hilir Henno. Irvine kept a large lead throughout most of the set. Henno, who led the match with 12 kills, smashed a ball in front of the 10-foot line on Northridge’s side before connecting on another service ace, giving Irvine an 18-12 lead. CSUN went on a run, getting within two points, 21-19, but Irvine countered, closing out the first set 25-21.
The second set was the closest of the three as the Matadors stepped up the intensity. Irvine took the first point, but Northridge quickly took their first lead of the night with some powerful swings and strong serves. CSUN grabbed a 5-3 advantage before Irvine turned on the jets. Sani blasted another ace to give the ‘Eaters the lead again at 11-10.
The teams went back and forth, having multiple ties and lead changes throughout the middle of the set. The Anteaters pulled away with some great defense by redshirt junior setter Joe Karlous, digging a ball that Henno put away off of an assist by Sani, making it 18-15. UCI kept their three-point lead for the rest of the match, which ended with a strong float serve by Karlous, leading to an attacking error by CSUN. The ‘Eaters took set 2 with 25-22.
The third set started off rough for Irvine, as the service pressure from Hobus and the blocking of Northridge’s front row led to their largest lead of the night at 10-5. However, the woes of the ‘Eaters eventually diminished and tough serves by Grigoriev closed the gap, forcing CSUN to take a timeout, as the ‘Eaters cut the deficit to two. A block by UCI freshman opposite William D’Arcy and a hitting error by the Matadors tied the game at 11-11.
The ‘Eaters took the lead again with a forceful double block from junior middle blocker Connor Campbell and senior outside hitter Akhil Tangutur. This proved to be a turning point in the set as the Anteaters put on a show for the home crowd. UCI successfully completed the comeback, ending the set 25-18 and winning the match with a 3-0 sweep.
The Anteaters defeated Long Beach 3-0 in the semifinals of the Big West Championships on Friday, April 21. However, they fell to Hawaii 3-1 in the Big West Championships final the next day, officially ending their season.
Evan Marks is a Sports Intern for the spring 2023 quarter. He can be reached at ecmarks@uci.edu.