NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — Cal Lutheran men's volleyball scared Division I opponent, CSU Northridge, in the first set, but the Matadors prevailed and won the match 3-0 on Friday night. Scores of the match were 22-25, 15-25, 12-25.
It was the first game of the year for the Kingsmen, as they took on tough competition. Sean Fitzpatrick led the way with five kills. He was followed by Jake Tucker, Ben Weber, and Logan Marks with four kills each. Cal Lutheran's offense made a total of 25 kills.
Taylor Marks kept the offense going and dished out 20 assists. L. Marks led the team with four digs amd Fitzpatrick and Kevin Lynch had three each.
Tucker started the game strong for Cal Lutheran as he opened the game with a kill. The game was neck-and-neck early on as the Kingsmen and Matadors fired the ball back-and-forth with the score rising to 5-5. CSUN began to slowly pull away as they took the lead 10-7. Cal Lutheran didn't stay down for long as the Kingsmen began to climb and overcame the Matadors 12-11. The Kingsmen kept the game close as each team took a turn in the lead. In the end, CSUN took the first set 25-22.
The Kingsmen and Matadors both started strong as the second set began with an early 4-4 tie. CSU Northridge tried to pull away with the lead, but Cal Lutheran stayed close 8-7. The Kingsmen began to fall as they struggled to keep up with the Matadors as the score rose to 17-10. The Kingsmen were unable to recover as the Matadors took the second set 25-15.
Cal Lutheran and CSU Northridge both came in swinging as they matched each other 1-1 in the third. The Kingsmen tried to hold strong, but the Matadors were able to pull away with an early 10-5 lead. Despite Cal Lutheran's defense, CSU Northridge breezed through the Kingsmen's efforts, taking the third set 25-12.
The Kingsmen's next game will be in Gilbert Arena against Endicott on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 4 p.m.
Box Score: CSUN 3, CLU 0
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