NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – No. 5 Cal Lutheran men's volleyball put together two competitive sets against NCAA Division I opponent CSUN on Friday night, but the Matadors' offensive efficiency ultimately proved the difference in a 25-21, 25-21, 25-13 decision at Premier America Credit Union Arena.

The Kingsmen move to 14-4 overall after their second Division I test of the season.

CLU showed early composure against a strong CSUN squad that hit .370 as a team. The Kingsmen held the Matadors to a .226 clip in the opening set and battled point-for-point through the middle stages. A late push trimmed the deficit to 24-21, but CSUN closed out the frame to take the early lead.

The second set featured the Kingsmen at their best. Cal Lutheran recorded 11 kills and hit .125 in the stanza, matching CSUN through multiple ties, including at 20-20 and 21-21. Connor Crawford delivered several key swings down the stretch, and the Kingsmen capitalized on Matador service errors to stay within striking distance before CSUN used a late run to secure another 25-21 win.

The Matadors found another gear in the third set, hitting .667 behind 13 kills and just one error to pull away and close out the match.

Crawford paced Cal Lu with nine kills and two blocks, while Brendan Hom added five kills. At the net, Matthew Wilcox and Aidan Godfrey each contributed two block assists as the Kingsmen totaled four team blocks.

Garrett Ream dished out nine assists and added three digs, with Gavin Galanski contributing eight assists in the split setting effort. Braden Gonzales anchored the back row with a team-high seven digs.

Cal Lutheran returns to Thousand Oaks on Thursday to host Wentworth at 6 p.m., opening play in the annual Cal Lu Fornia Invitational, which runs March 5-10.