Sports

Spartan Student-Athletes Earn President’s & Dean’s Scholar Designation – SJSU Athletics – Official Athletics Website

Published

8 months ago

May 20, 2025

SAN JOSE, Calif.—As finals wrap up for the spring semester, San José State student-athletes excelled in the classroom over the past two semesters as 176 current and former student-athletes, cheer and dance team members and department student workers were recognized as either a President’s Scholar or Dean’s Scholar at SJSU.

The President’s Scholars were honored at the 63rd annual Honors Convocation held inside the Provident Credit Union Event Center in April. The celebration honored over 2,590 undergraduate students who achieved the distinction for the Spring and/or Fall 2024 semesters.

To earn a President’s Scholar designation, a student must earn a 4.00 grade-point average in one of the two semesters (Spring 2024 & Fall 2024) before the Honors Convocation. A Dean’s Scholar is a San José State student with a 3.65 or higher grade-point average in a semester during the same academic calendar.

There are 47 student-athletes from 18 sports designated as a President’s Scholar. Women’s soccer had seven President’s Scholars, followed by women’s golf, women’s swimming and diving and women’s water polo with five each.

All 22 sports are represented among the 176 honorees, including nine teams who have double-digit honorees – women’s soccer with 18 honorees; men’s water polo with 16 honorees; women’s water polo and cheer & dance with 15 honorees; women’s swimming & diving, football and women’s gymnastics with 13 honorees; and women’s track & field/cross country with 11 honorees and softball with 10 honorees.

President’s Scholars (47)

Nereyda Alvarez Gonzalez Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field Kinesiology

Moa Andersson Women’s Golf Business Administration/International Business

Mya Azzopardi Women’s Swimming & Diving Psychology BA

Marissa Ashton Women’s Gymnastics Business Administration/Management

Hamish Bonnar Men’s Water Polo Justice Studies/Criminology

Ava Bynes Women’s Soccer Public Relations

Tyler Chen Football Undecided – Pre-Nursing

Darae Chung Women’s Golf Psychology BA

Kyah Coady Women’s Soccer Kinesiology

Emma Cornwell Cheer & Dance Justice Studies/Criminology

Katie Dargani Cheer & Dance Undeclared – Pre-Nursing

Camille Donnelly Cheer & Dance Psychology BA

Duru Durgun Tennis Psychology BA

Cole Ehrhorn Baseball Business Administration/Management

Kayla Fortenberry Women’s Soccer Sociology

Anabel Foster Women’s Track & Field Psychology BA

Chloe Frank Women’s Gymnastics Business Administration/Management

Avinash Iyer Men’s Golf Business Administration/Finance

Ashley Jackson Women’s Swimming & Diving Biological Sciences/Systems Physiology BS

Mitchell Keightley Men’s Water Polo Chemistry BS

Tasaria Kilpatrick Women’s Water Polo Undeclared

Tessa Kremser Women’s Golf Business Administration/Human Resources

Lucia Lopez Ortega Women’s Golf Biological Sciences/Systems Physiology BS

Sebastian Macaluso Football Communication Studies

Connor Macmillan Men’s Water Polo Interdisciplinary Engineering

Sophia Martel Women’s Soccer Business Admin./Management Information Systems

Reagan Mathieson Women’s Swimming & Diving Public Health/Population Data

Shay McDowell Softball Kinesiology

Charlotte Memoly Women’s Soccer Kinesiology

Sophia Memory Women’s Soccer Advertising

Lucy Miszewski Women’s Water Polo Mechanical Engineering

Bente Pernot Women’s Soccer History

Sinia Plotz Women’s Water Polo Psychology BA

Alexey Poletaev Men’s Water Polo Biological Sciences BA

Ella Power Women’s Gymnastics Biological Sciences/Systems Physiology BS

Paxtyn Riehs Women’s Water Polo Psychology BA

Mia Reynolds Softball Art/Studio Practice

Kate Roberts Women’s Golf Political Science

Anna Salmon Beach Volleyball Biological Sciences BA

Lina Schubert Women’s Track & Field Psychology BA

Ellie Shorten Women’s Swimming & Diving Business Admin./Management Information Systems

Emilia Sjostrand Women’s Track & Field Sociology

Paris Thai Cheer & Dance Communicative Disorders & Science

Keira Vail Women’s Swimming & Diving Journalism

Kaylob Walker Men’s Soccer Kinesiology

Katherine Weyhmiller Women’s Gymnastics Psychology BA

Nynke Willemsen Women’s Water Polo Marine Biology

Dean’s Scholars (129)

Ronin Axelson Men’s Soccer Psychology BA

Luna Balbuena Women’s Swimming & Diving Business Administration/Business Analytics

Nathan Balestrieri Football Communication Studies

Olaya Bances Iglesias Women’s Tennis Business Administration/Marketing

Alyssa Bean Women’s Track & Field Psychology BA

Dino Beslagic Football Communication Studies

Joseph Bey Football Business Administration/Entrepreneurship

Alyssa Bjork Volleyball Public Health

Mateja Bosic Men’s Water Polo Business Administration/Entrepreneurship

Keely Brown Women’s Soccer Mechanical Engineering

Carly Burns Women’s Soccer Psychology BA

Victor Cabanas Men’s Soccer Kinesiology

Letizia Cammillucci Volleyball Communication Studies

Alvaro Cardenas Men’s Basketball Kinesiology

Kyra Cato Women’s Gymnastics Psychology BA

Tiana Cello Women’s Soccer Advertising

Michael Chadwick Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field Kinesiology

Caitlin Chea Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field Psychology BA

Taylor Chillingworth Softball Kinesiology

Isabella Cioe Women’s Golf Economics

Itai Cohen Men’s Golf Business Administration/Marketing

Autemn Coleman Cheer/Dance Biomedical Engineering

Nathan Correia Men’s Water Polo Business Administration/Finance

Ashley Cummings Cheer/Dance Psychology BA

Sawyer Deeman Football Communication Studies

Addison DeMarse Beach Volleyball Psychology BA

Sarah Deplitch Softball Business Administration/Marketing

Anisha De Silva Cheer/Dance Undecided – Pre-Nursing

Djessira Diawara Women’s Basketball Philosophy

Hunter Dorraugh Baseball Justice Studies/Criminology

Niklas Dossmann Men’s Soccer Economics BA

Andreea Dragoi Women’s Swimming & Diving Psychology BA

Erik Duesund Men’s Water Polo Business Administration/Accounting

Jade Epps Volleyball Kinesiology

Hannah Ernst Women’s Swimming & Diving Biological Sciences BA

Morgan Eoff Cheer & Dance Art/Digital Media Art

Eamon Fakhri Men’s Soccer Psychology BA

Louis Fehrensen Men’s Water Polo Biological Sciences BA

Renee Fleming Women’s Water Polo Kinesiology

Bella Flocchini Women’s Soccer Advertising

Natasha Forrand Women’s Gymnastics Physics BS

Greta Fraraccio Women’s Track & Field Business Administration/Management

Ela Freiman Women’s Swimming & Diving SAGE Biomedical Engineering

Roy Gardner Jr. Football Kinesiology

Hazel Gaspaire Women’s Track & Field Justice Studies/Criminology

Ashley Goard Softball English (Teaching Prep)

Veronica Gourley Women’s Swimming & Diving Business Administration/Marketing

Katharina Graaman Women’s Track & Field Economics BS

Colin Grabman Cheer & Dance Mechanical Engineering

Luke Griskey Football Kinesiology

Madison Gustitus Women’s Gymnastics Business Administration/Marketing

Rebecca Gyllner Women’s Golf Business Administration/Management

Kyler Halvorsen Football Justice Studies

Lacie Ham Softball Psychology BA

Rowan Henige Men’s Track & Field Kinesiology

Gabriella Hernandez Women’s Track & Field Business Administration/Accounting

Austin Hexter Men’s Water Polo English

Julianna Hogan Sports Information Communication Studies

Evan House Women’s Soccer Kinesiology

William Humer Men’s Basketball Business Administration/Entrepreneurship

Iliana Jasso Women’s Soccer SAGE Justice Studies/Criminology

Rose Jensen Women’s Water Polo Environmental Studies

Trinity Johnson Women’s Gymnastics Business Administration/Management

Nicola Kaminski Women’s Golf Kinesiology

Catie Kelly Women’s Water Polo Environmental Studies BS

Eda Koker Volleyball Philosophy

Sophia Konieczny Women’s Gymnastics Forensic Science/Biology

Nathan Lau Men’s Track & Field Electrical Engineering

Lexington Leffall Men’s Track & Field Geography

Nate Lewis Football Business Administration/Management

Kaylani Lim Softball Political Science

Jaudai Lopes Women’s Gymnastics Justice Studies/Criminology

Ryann Lucchesi Women’s Water Polo Psychology BA

Xuan Luo Men’s Golf Business Administration/Analytics

Alyssa Malla Women’s Basketball Undeclared – Pre-Nursing

Katerina Marghieri Women’s Swimming & Diving Physics BS

Ava Martin Volleyball Business Administration/Management

Jovanah Maruri Cheer & Dance Child & Adolescent Development

Kennedy Mayo Women’s Soccer/Sports Info. Journalism

Hannah McCabe Cheer & Dance Kinesiology

Alaric Mercie de Soultrait Men’s Golf Business Administration/Finance

Hudson Mesa Football Business Administration/Management

Carolina Millan Women’s Tennis Philosophy

Elon Milroy Beach Volleyball Kinesiology

Irena Muradyan Women’s Tennis Business Administration/HTEM

Zsófia Muzsnay Women’s Swimming & Diving Psychology BA

Mia Nelson Women’s Gymnastics Biological Sciences BA

Itay Nemet Men’s Water Polo Business Administration/Management

Terence O’Donnell Men’s Water Polo Child & Adolescent Development (Teach Prep)

JC Osorio-Agard Baseball Economics BA

Jennine Osorio Women’s Water Polo Kinesiology

Maiken Pardon Women’s Water Polo Mechanical Engineering

Taylor Peacock Softball Undeclared

Dane Pendleton Men’s Soccer Philosophy

Taylor Phillips Women’s Soccer Business Administration/Finance

Emmitt Phinney Baseball Philosophy

Tatianna Raffin Women’s Water Polo Justice Studies/Criminology

Zach Ramans Men’s Water Polo Business Administration/Finance

Olivia Reardon Women’s Gymnastics Kinesiology

Timmy Reeve Baseball Communication Studies

Jasmine Rihal Sports Information Communication Studies

Adrianna Ross Cheer & Dance Advertising

Jessica Ross Women’s Water Polo Aviation

Karissa Ruble Women’s Soccer SAGE ISE/Engineering Management BS

Mattin Sarhaddi Men’s Water Polo Data Science

Rachel Schrock Cheer & Dance Liberal Studies/Int. Teacher Prep

Ricardo Scarafia Men’s Soccer Business Administration/Entrepreneurship

Ty Seligman Men’s Track & Field Biomedical Engineering

Cheuk Ying Shek Women’s Tennis Kinesiology

Jasmine Singleton Women’s Basketball Sociology

Grace Smith Women’s Water Polo Biological Sciences BA

Amelia Snyder Women’s Swimming & Diving Business Administration/Marketing

Taylor Squires Softball Mathematics (Intg. Teaching Prep)

Jake Steele Football Undeclared – Pre-Nursing

Lauren Strazzeri Women’s Track & Field Justice Studies/Criminology

Mael Suchet Men’s Water Polo Business Administration/Management

Shayla Sugai Women’s Soccer SAGE Justice Studies/Criminology

Bence Szabo Men’s Water Polo Business Administration/Management

Cameron Tarver Men’s Track & Field Business Administration/Human Resources

Aubrie Thomas Softball Psychology BA

Maro Tiozzo Men’s Water Polo Business Administration/International Business

Devyn Valuch Women’s Gymnastics Justice Studies/Criminology

Brady Van Bennekum Football Business Admin./Management Information Systems

Jack Vanoncini Baseball Business Administration/Marketing

Cammy Ventura Women’s Soccer Kinesiology

Alexander Walker Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field Chemical Engineering

Theresa Wesson Cheer & Dance Child & Adolescent Development (Teach Prep)

Sarah Woren Women’s Water Polo Psychology BA

Kalia Wyatt Cheer & Dance Sociology

#AllSpartans

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No. 8 Cougars take down Red Flash in season opener with 3-0 sweep – BYU Athletics – Official Athletics Website

Published

1 hour ago

January 10, 2026

Your Sports Nation

PROVO, Utah — Trent Moser’s game-high 14 kills along with Tyler Herget’s 35 assists powered No. 8 BYU men’s volleyball over Saint Francis (25-22, 25-20, 25-18) in a 3-0 sweep.

For a team that lost a number of key contributors from last season, Moser’s return to the team after a season at Grand Canyon, combined with the emergence of both new and returning players, has the Cougars in a spot that Head Coach Shawn Olmstead is excited about.

“I’m happy for them,” Olmstead said. “They needed to get out here and shake their wings and get the rust off a little. I’m excited for everybody to see this team that we’ve seen, but it’s not close to the level these guys will be at.”

In the Cougar attack, returning junior Teilon-Jonathan Tufuga contributed nine kills in the victory. Freshman AJ Cottle cashed in eight kills on 10 swings and four blocks. Freshman Trevor Herget racked up three aces, including back-to-back aces on the first two serves of his collegiate career. Sophomore Connor Oldani added six kills and a career-high 10 digs. Oldani also transferred to BYU along with Moser.

“It feels so good to have this much support,” Moser said. “The first set today felt kind of weird, honestly. I felt like I was here yesterday. It’s been two years, so I’m happy to be back.”

BYU out-hit Saint Francis .310 to .164 in the win. The Cougars out-killed the Red Flash by 18 (42-24), digs by 14 (30-16), blocks by three (7-4) and had three less service errors (15-12).

Set 1

After a 2-2 start, which included a Moser kill as the first Cougar point of the season, BYU went on a 3-0 run. Back-to-back aces were recorded by Tufuga. The Cougars then added on a 4-0 run after some back-and-forth scoring. Moser and Gavin Chambers added to the kill count in the run. At the media timeout, the Cougars led 15-8.

The Red Flash countered BYU’s attack with a 5-0 run of their own and three consecutive aces in the run. Out of a Cougar timeout, Saint Francis chipped away BYU’s lead and tied it up 16-16.

The Cougars regained their lead thanks to kills by Tufuga, Cottle and two by Moser to go up 21-18. BYU capped off the set 25-22 with Moser’s seventh kill at set point to take a 1-0 match lead.

Set 2

The Red Flash were first to make a statement and began the set with a 3-0 run that included two Saint Francis kills. A Tufuga ace would then tie it 3-3 before the Red Flash gradually increased its lead to five, 14-9.

BYU responded to the deficit with a 6-1 run and took its first lead of the set at 16-15. Kills by Chambers, Oldani, and Moser along with three Cougar blocks attributed to the momentum swing.

After both squads traded points, the Cougar lead grew to four, 22-18, with freshman Trevor Herget posting back-to-back aces on the first two serves of his career. Tufuga closed out the set with three straight kills to help BYU win the second set 25-20.

Set 3

Following a 3-3 draw to start the third, Saint Francis tacked on a 3-0 run which included three BYU errors. Cottle then recorded three kills as BYU fought back to tie it up 7-7.

Each team exchanged scores until the Cougars took charge with two Moser kills and an Oldani kill in the midst of a 4-0 run. Then, Cottle got a kill and shared a block to extend BYU’s lead to six, 18-12, forcing a Red Flash timeout.

A string of errors from both sides, five by Saint Francis and three by BYU, made the score 23-16 in favor of the Cougars. A kill by Trevor Herget to force match point and another kill sealed the set and match to give BYU the 3-0 sweep over the Red Flash.

Up Next

These same two teams will face each other again tomorrow night at 7 p.m. The match can be viewed live on Big Ten Plus and on-demand at BYUtv.org and the BYUtv App after 10 p.m.

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Deb Thill, Kernels’ only volleyball coach in program history, set to retire – Mitchell Republic

Published

1 hour ago

January 10, 2026

Your Sports Nation

MITCHELL — After a 35-year coaching and teaching career, it won’t be easy for Deb Thill to retire.

It’s been the reward of helping kids succeed, grow and develop that has kept the Kernel coach involved in four decades.

Thill, who has been Mitchell High School’s only volleyball coach in Kernel history, formally announced her retirement on Friday, set to retire at the end of the school year from the only school district she’s ever worked for. Thill is also leaving her position as a physical education teacher at L.B. Williams Elementary and as the Kernels’ track and field head coach.

She joked Friday that retirement had to happen eventually, but she’s looking forward to having more time for herself and her family going forward.

“I’ve been in the education and coaching field for so long, and I thought it was probably time for me to do some other things before I’m too old to do it,” she said.

Thill’s volleyball coaching career included Class AA state championships in 1995 and 2003, and 15 trips to the state tournament, including a final trip in 2025. The first was in 1993, sending the Kernels to the state tournament in four different decades. She reached 500 career volleyball coaching victories in 2024 and she was the longest-tenured high school volleyball coach in Class AA volleyball history.

“Deb Thill’s impact on Mitchell athletics is truly extraordinary. As the first and only head volleyball coach in program history, she built a standard of excellence that continues to define our school,” Mitchell High School Activities Director Cory Aadland said in a statement. “Beyond the success of her teams, Deb’s greatest legacy is the countless student-athletes she mentored, inspired and prepared for life. Her dedication, leadership, and passion for education-based athletics will be felt in our community for generations.”

Mitchell coach Deb Thill, center, greets her team during a timeout in a high school volleyball match against Sioux Falls Roosevelt on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Mitchell.

In an interview, Thill recalled that Mitchell and Yankton were the final two Class AA schools to start a volleyball program in 1991-92, and Mitchell had more than 100 girls out for volleyball, with only three levels of teams in the program to start.

“We kept growing as a program and there was a lot of interest and a lot of girls wanted to play volleyball,” Thill said. “In four years, we were vying for the state championship against Yankton, and that was pretty memorable. We were blessed with good athletes right at the beginning.”

From that standpoint, Thill isn’t that surprised that volleyball has grown as much nationally as it has, flourishing collegiately and with professional leagues popping up.

“Once you play the game, and if you have good people around you, you’re kind of hooked, between playing or watching or coaching because it is very much a team sport,” she said. “And the game itself has changed so that it’s much more fan friendly from when it first started.”

Thill has coached track and field since 2012 and been the head coach for four seasons, a role she will continue to do through May. She also was a girls basketball coach with the Kernels for 13 years, with 11 as an assistant for Gary Munsen and then two years as head coach after South Dakota switched its volleyball and girls basketball seasons, moving volleyball to the fall and basketball to the winter, which didn’t allow Munsen to coach both anymore.

Mitchell coach Deb Thill coaches on the sideline during a 2025 high school volleyball match at Mitchell High School.

Once again, it was the right place, right time for Thill, who led the Kernels to a state championship in her first season as head coach in 2003 and finished third in 2004, with Mitchell 43-3 under her leadership in two seasons. In 2004, she relinquished the girls basketball job to spend more time with her family.

“Looking back, it was a little much. At the Class AA level, it’s just pretty rare to find someone that will coach multiple sports,” Thill said on Friday. “And just in general, people don’t coach very long. To coach for 35 years, that’s probably an anomaly. … One of my goals was to be a good role model for young women to show you can have a career, you can have a family, you can do a lot of those things and make it work and do it well.”

Thill was the state’s volleyball coach of the year in 2003 and is a past president of the South Dakota High School Coaches Association.

In retirement, Thill said she’s looking forward to more time with her children and family and to be able to take some trips.

Aadland said the search for Mitchell’s next coaches for volleyball and track and field will begin immediately.

Marcus Traxler is the assistant editor and sports editor for the Mitchell Republic. A past winner of the state’s Outstanding Young Journalist award and the 2023 South Dakota Sportswriter of the Year, he’s worked for the newspaper since 2014 and covers a wide variety of topics. A Minnesota native, Traxler can be reached at mtraxler@mitchellrepublic.com.

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Wesleyan Christian’s Nejari Crooks named Gatorade NC Volleyball Player of the Year

Published

2 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Wesleyan Christian junior Nejari Crooks was named the N.C. Gatorade Player of the Year in volleyball.

Crooks is ranked as one of the top 15 juniors in the nation and has committed to Penn State.

She made the HighSchoolOT all-state first team this past season, her third time making the state’s top all-state team, featuring players from all associations, and the second time on the first-team.

List as six feet tall, the right-side hitter and setter is closing in on 1,000 kills and 1,000 assists in her career.

She was also an American Volleyball Coaches Association First Team All-American, and a member of the USA Volleyball Under-19 Women’s National Team that won the gold medal at the Pan American Cup in Canada last June.

According to a press release, Crooks has a 4.84 GPA.

This past season she posted 405 kills (a whopping 6.5 per set) with a 52.8 kill percentage and a 42.6 hitting percentage. She had 104 aces, 65 blocks, 216 digs (3.5 per set) and 351 assists (5.7 per set).

She made first-team all-state as a sophomore and was an honorable mention selection as a freshman.

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Several Hornets Make Season Debuts at Burg Open

Published

6 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Lynchburg, Va. – The University of Lynchburg indoor track & field teams hosted the Burg Open to resume competition for the 2025-2026 season at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex.

Although the Hornets competed in their third indoor meet, several distance athletes made their season debuts following an extended training block. On the field events side, Lynchburg posted 23 top-10 performances, including individual victories in the women’s weight throw and men’s high jump.

For the men’s team, Lamont Victoria and Alex Jordan earned first-place finishes against stellar competition. Victoria bested the field in the men’s high jump by clearing the 6′ 9″ (2.06m) bar, while Aidan Hipp finished second at the 6′ 5¾” (1.98m) height. Elijah Rose and Jaren Lee (6′ 3¾” or 1.93m) earned third and fourth, respectively.

Alex Jordan posted an 8:24.78 performance in the men’s 3,000m to win the race, which featured 11 Hornets. Jack Weddle clinched second with an 8:32.30 result, while Mercer Alden accelerated into third with an 8:45.82 finish.

Delaney Saulsbury led the women’s 3,000m coast-to-coast and registered a personal-best 10:40.53 for first place. Winter Tietjen posted 10:46.70 for second place in her collegiate track debut, while Mya Baker earned 10:48.84 for third.

Rylee Turner also secured a pair of podium finishes, clocking 7.95 for third in the 60-meter dash finals and 26.02 for second in the 200-meter dash. In the 400m, Kaitlyn Ruiz crossed the line in 59.99 for second, while Parker Marshall finished fifth in the men’s race with a 51.33 result.

In jumping events, Kacey Kelly displayed her versatility with three top-10 finishes. The senior placed second in the women’s triple jump with a 36′ 3¼” (11.06m), fourth in the women’s long jump (16′ 8¾” or 5.10m) and sixth in the women’s 60-meter hurdles (10.84).

First-year Audrey Lacombe joined Kelly with a sixth-place mark in the women’s triple jump (30′ 11″ or 9.42m) and an eighth-place finish in the women’s 60-meter hurdle final (11.11).

Kenzie Swicegood earned her third first-place finish of the season with an individual victory in the women’s weight throw, posting a 53′ 4½” (16.27m) throw. The former Old Dominion Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Week also claimed a fourth-place finish in the women’s shot put with a 37′ 1″ (11.30m) performance.

The Hornets registered 11 top-ten finishes between the women’s weight throw and shot put, and Kya Rucker joined Swicegood on the podium for the weight throw with a 46′ 3¾” (14.12m) mark.

To round out the day, the women’s 4x400m relay team clocked 4:04.72 for second in the field, while the men’s 4x400m squad clinched 3:20.39 for second.

Lynchburg returns to action on Friday, Jan. 16 and Saturday, Jan. 17 with a split-squad weekend, traveling to the Virginia Tech Invitational and Finn Pincus Invitational, hosted by Roanoke College.

For full results from the Burg Open, click here.

Visit Lynchburg athletics’ home online, LynchburgSports.com, anytime for up-to-the-minute news on all Hornets sports and coverage from the Lynchburg Hornets Sports Network.

Give Lynchburg Sports a like on Facebook, and follow Lynchburg athletics on Instagram, Threads, and X.

–LYN–

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CSUN Improves to 2-0 After Holding Off Harvard in Four Sets

Published

7 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Your Sports Nation

GOLETA, Calif. — Joao Favarim and Hank Kaufman powered a balanced attack as CSUN defeated Harvard 25-16, 25-19, 26-28, 25-18 to improve to 2-0 at the Asics Invitational Friday afternoon at UCSB’s Rob Gym.

CSUN (2-0) struggled a times offensively, hitting .206 as a team, but controlled the match with steady serving and a strong block. The Matadors finished with a 9.5–7 edge in total team blocks as Favarim had a match-high six block assists. The sophomore middle also led the Matadors offensively with 10 kills on 17 swings to hit .471. Kaufman finished the match with nine kills (.065), two aces, and two blocks, while senior Shane Nhem chipped in six kills (.455) and a pair of blocks.

Setter Owen Douphner helped CSUN to a sizable 10-4 edge in team aces as he served a career-high five in the win. Doughner directed the offense with 30 assists and chipped in five kills, as CSUN placed four players in double figures in points. Shane Nhem added six kills on .455 hitting, and Joao Avila contributed a match-high 10 digs, seven kills (.214), and two aces.

CSUN jumped out early, rolling to a convincing win in the opening set behind efficient sideout play and four aces. The Matadors carried that momentum into the second set, pulling away late to take a two-set lead.

Harvard (0-2) extended the match by outlasting CSUN in a tightly contested third set, but the Matadors responded with their most complete effort in the fourth. CSUN broke open a close set with a decisive run midway through and closed the match on a kill by Grayson Albers.

Sawyer Nichols led Harvard with 15 kills, but the Crimson hit just .037 for the match and struggled to find consistency against the CSUN block and serve pressure.

HEAD COACH THEO EDWARDS SAID

“I thought we were inconsistent at times today. We had four guys out there that are starting to really learn how to do this and how to play at a consistent level. There were some great performances; Owen (Doughner) commanded the match for the most part. For me, it’s just about us learning and making progress throughout the season. Part of the struggle for us today was playing back-to-back days. We’re having some conversations about that and how to get the proper rest and get ready for tomorrow.”

UP NEXT

CSUN concludes the 2026 Asics Invitational on Saturday afternoon, meeting Kentucky State (0-1) at 4:30 p.m.

#GoMatadors

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2026 Season Opens in a Five-Set Thriller

Published

7 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Your Sports Nation

IRVINE, CALIF. – In a thrilling five-set showdown to kick off the 2026 men’s volleyball season, the Golden Eagles showcased heart, hustle, and plenty of promise in front of a spirited home crowd – ultimately falling in a close 3-2 (19-25, 25-22, 25-21, 27-29, 13-15) to Rockhurst. Despite the loss, CUI took numerous positive takeaways from an electric night of volleyball that highlighted depth, leadership, and grit.

Fresh into his Golden Eagle debut, Aidan Case delivered a standout performance, delivering 54 assists, which is currently tied for ninth in the CUI record books for a five-set match. His ability to distribute the ball kept the Green and Gold competitive through every set and provided real momentum swings for the Golden Eagles.

CUI’s offense was firing on all cylinders at times, with several players stepping up to the plate. Christian Galoppo led the Green and Gold with 15 kills and eight digs. Logan Whitaker and Nathan Habermas added 13 and 11, respectively.

Defensively, the Golden Eagles were active at the net, finishing with 10 total blocks. Players like Paul Schulties and Logan Whitaker were particularly disruptive to the Hawks’ offense, recording nine blocks between the two of them. The back row also made key plays that extended rallies and pressured Rockhurst’s offense. The energy never wavered, even as the match went the distance.

While the Green and Gold came up just short in their home opener, the performance laid a strong foundation for the rest of the season. The Golden Eagles will be on the road Sunday, January 11, to take on #1 UCLA at 5:00 PM in their first MPSF match-up.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SCHEDULE FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON

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