Marathon March

Wednesday, January 28

Riverside

7:00 PM

California Baptist University

Cal State Northridge

CSUN

California Baptist

Photo by: Jacob Gonzalez

1/28/2015 9:46:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Andrew Shortall, Asst. Sports Information Director

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- With California Baptist University and Cal State Northridge locked in the longest set each had played this season, it was clear to everyone in the Van Dyne Gym whatever team took Wednesday's opener was going to hold a big advantage the rest of the way.

It was the Matadors who won the first set by a score of 36-34, which set an Mountain Pacific Sports Federation record for longest set of 2015 so far. CSUN rode the wave it created en route to a four-set win (36-34, 25-19, 19-25, 25-19), despite a big rally from CBU that started back in the opener. The Lancers fall to 3-6, 1-5 in conference with the loss and Cal State Northridge improves to an even 4-4, 2-2.

It seemed CSUN was in full control in the first set with a 16-11 lead, but the Lancers suddenly flipped the script and tied the match at 18 with a huge 7-2 run. A Rocky DeLyon kill and Enrique de Diego Garcia ace highlighted the spurt.

The Matadors took another two-point edge, 20-18, before two more kills from DeLyon, a Roy Powell ace and Giovanni Llinas Rosa spike tied things back up at 22 points apiece. CSUN appeared to take a stronghold on the match, scoring the next two points to grab set point, 24-22. Llinas Rosa gave CBU new life with a kill, though, and the Lancers battled back with a 3-0 run to take set point of their own at 25-24.

Things would not end that easy, with 10 ties coming down the stretch. CBU refused to quit, despite the Matador holding set point on 10 occassions. Two kills from Jonathan Tuttle and one each from DeLyon, Garcia and Llinas Rosa kept CBU alive before the visitors sealed the deal with a 3-0 run.

Cal State Northridge built on the huge boost it got in the first set and took a 19-12 lead in the second, which gave it enough cushion for a 25-19 victory. Despite the Matadors jumping out to another quick lead, 10-6, in the third, the Lancers dug in and refused to go down in three.

CBU scored five unanswered – highlighted by kills from Powell and DeLyon – to take an 11-10 edge. Kills from Garcia and Rohit Paul helped the Lancers build on the lead, 13-11. DeLyon went on a 3-1 run of his own with some well-placed spikes to give his team a 17-14 cushion. A Daniel Maurer kill and DeLyon ace gave CBU a four-point lead, 20-16, and Paul bookended a 3-0 Lancer rally with kills to give his side set point, 24-18. Paul finished it himself, another kill off a Zachary Melcher assist.

The Lancers fell into another early hole, 17-12, in the fourth set and it wound up proving costly. Despite the deficit, CBU got back in it with a 4-1 spurt that included kills from Powell, Garcia and Paul and a Powell ace to move within 17-15. CSUN answered back with a 3-0 run to take a 20-15 lead that was too great to overcome.

DeLyon finished with a team-high 18 kills on the night. He also had six digs, two aces and two blocks. Maurer and Tuttle each had eight kills, with Maurer adding a team-high three blocks. Melcher produced a career-high 48 assists, four digs and three blocks for the Lancers, who received nine digs from Kevin Kustura.

CBU will look to rebound Saturday against 11^th-ranked Long Beach State in the Van Dyne Gym at 7 p.m. It ends a span of seven home matches in the first month of the season for the Lancers, who will travel for a two-match set at BYU next week.