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Brandon Johnson and Jonathan Bates
Some of the top CSUN players from this decade are receiving a college men’s volleyball honor
Off the Block announced on Saturday the seven players selected to the CSUN All-Decade Starting Lineup presented by Off the Block.
The All-Decade Starting Lineup recognizes the best players to compete with a team since 2010. Similar to the starting lineup for a match, the All-Decade honor is comprised of a setter, opposite and libero along with two outside attackers and middle attackers.
The Off the Block staff determined the All-Decade Starting Lineup using a variety of factors including career statistical performance and the team’s overall success when a player was a member of the program.
This is also part of a series from Off the Block to celebrate the end of the decade in college men’s volleyball. Off the Block throughout the rest of 2019 will release an All-Decade Starting Lineup for every NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball team.
After winning eight of its final ten regular season matches in 2010, the Matadors went on to beat USC in four games and BYU in five games before losing eventual national champion, Stanford, in the MPSF tournament championship match. CSUN would go on to earn an at-large bid to the 2010 NCAA tournament but lose to Penn State in the semifinals.
Off the Block is a national award winning website that was established in 2011 and is the nation’s leader in college men’s volleyball.
CSUN All-Decade Starting Lineup presented by Off the Block
Setter: Travis Magorien
Opposite: Arvis Greene
Outside hitter: Sam Holt
Outside hitter: Dimitar Kalchev
Middle attacker: Greg Faulkner
Middle attacker: Josiah Byers
Libero: CJ Suarez
Off the Bench: Drew Staker, Matt Stork Brandon Lebrock
Travis Magorien (2012-15)
Awards and Honors: None
Magorien led CSUN in assists in 2013, 2014, and 2015, while also leading the team in assists during the 2013 and 2015 seasons. His 2,911 career assists ranks fifth all-time in Matador program history during the rally scoring era.
Arvis Greene (2014-18)
Awards and Honors: 2017 All-American Honorable Mention, 2017 All-MPSF Second Team, 2018 All-American Second Team, 2018 All-Big West First Team
Greene is the only player on this list to make an All-American first or second team. His 2.90 kills per game ranks tenth in program history during the rally scoring era. In 2018, Greene had 378 kills, 808 attempts, and 4.55 kills per game – all single-season totals that rank in the top ten in school history. Greene’s 73 attempts in a match versus UC Irvine in 2018 is the second-most in program history during the rally scoring era.
Sam Holt (2012-15)
Awards and Honors: 2014 All-MPSF Honorable Mention
On the strength of leading the team in kills during the 2014 and 2015 seasons, Holt’s 3.21 kills per game rank eighth best in program history during the rally scoring era. He has two single-match performances for kills that rank in the top ten in program history.
Dimitar Kalchev (2016-19)
Awards and Honors: 2016 Off the Block All-American, 2017 All-MPSF Honorable Mention, 2018 All-Big West First Team, 2019 All-American Honorable Mention, 2019 All-Big West First Team
Statistically, the best server in CSUN history with 200 aces, each of Kalchev’s single season ace tallies rank in the top ten in program history, including his program best 62 in 2017. His .929 attack efficiency in a match versus UC Merced in 2017 is tied for tops in program history. His 1,262 kills ranks fifth best in program history during the rally scoring era, while his 3.23 kills per game rank sixth best..
Greg Faulkner (2011-15)
Awards and Honors: 2011 All-MPSF Freshman Team, 2014 All-MPSF Honorable Mention, 2015 All-MPSF Honorable Mention
Falkner ranks in top ten in program history with 260 block assists and 304 total blocks. His ten total blocks in a match versus Harvard in 2015 ranks fifth-best in program history. The current CSUN assistant coach led the Matadors with a .430 attack percentage in 2014 and a .334 attack percentage in 2015.
Josiah Byers (2015-18)
Awards and Honors: 2016 All-MPSF Honorable Mention, 2018 All-Big West Honorable Mention
Byers ranks in the top ten in program history for career attack percentage, career solo blocks, career block assists, and career total blocks. His .900 attack percentage in a match in 2016 versus UC San Diego ranks as the sixth-best performance during the rally scoring era.
CJ Suarez (2014-17)
Awards and Honors: None
Suarez’s 489 career digs ranks tenth in program history, while his 1.88 digs per game rank fifth (during the rally scoring era). His 2.30 digs per game in 2017 ranks ninth-best in program history for a season. His single best performance came in a match versus Loyola-Chicago in 2017, where he had 21 dig