California State University at Northridge
17-12,10-8Big West
UC Riverside
9-19,5-13Big West
CSUN Rallies Past UC Riverside in Five-Set Thriller to Close Regular Season
11/22/2025 7:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Matadors (17-12, 10-8 Big West) leaned on a balanced and resilient attack, highlighted by Hailey Brockway's 21 kills (.264) and Leah Miller's 15 kills (.407), to outlast the Highlanders in a match that featured 128 kills, 361 attacks, and 158 digs. The two teams also battled through 28 tie scores and 12 lead changes over five sets.
With 10 Big West wins, the Matadors post their first double-digit conference win total since 2014.
After dropping the first set and narrowly falling in the third, CSUN kept its regular-season-ending road win alive behind a decisive defensive effort. The Matadors posted 17.0 team blocks, almost doubling UC Riverside's 9.0, with key contributions at the net from Iye Okolo (7 blocks), Layla Moore (6), Brockway (4), Miller (4), Tatiana Turgeon (4), and Hayley Ogden (4).
Miller and Brockway sparked the fourth-set push, combining for eight kills as CSUN erased a late deficit to win 25–23 and force a deciding frame. In the fifth, the Matadors hit a blistering .421, their best percentage of the night, and used a 7–2 run midway through to take control. Brockway and Julia Bazylevych each delivered pivotal points down the stretch.
Two of the top liberos in the Big West, Paige Sentes and UCR's Jessica Dean, both excelled in the match as Dean led all players with 28 digs and Sentes had a season-high 27 digs, four off her career-high. CSUN's transition offense eventually wore down the Highlanders (9–19, 5–13). Bazylevych added 11 kills (.294) and 13 digs, while setters Taylor Dunlap and Katie Kolar combined for 53 assists, Dunlap recording a career-high 33 in the win.
UC Riverside's Sophia Ewalefo led all hitters with 23 kills, but the Highlanders hit just .048 in the final set as a block by Miller and Moore sealed the match.
HEAD COACH AQUILES MONTOYA SAID
"UC Riverside put up a huge battle, and we were happy to get a road conference win. Branden is a great coach, and they played hard for their seniors. We got to show off our depth in different positions. While we came out stale, we showcased that we can win ugly. With two 5-setters, we are fortunate to have a lot of recent volleyball to watch and reflect on before the tournament. It's been a great regular season, but we're excited for the new one that starts next week!"
UP NEXT
CSUN has earned the No. 5 seed in next week's Outrigger Big West Women's Volleyball Championship and will take on the to-be-determined No. 4 seed in the opening match of the championship on Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid.
#GoMatadors
