Wednesday, November 26
Long Beach, Calif.
3:00 PM
California State University at Northridge
17-13,10-8Big West
0
vs
3
#4 SEED UC Santa Barbara
23-8,14-4Big West
1
2
3
F
CSUN
13
17
18
0
UC Santa Barbara
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Steve Fitzgerald
CSUN Falls to UC Santa Barbara in First Round of Outrigger Big West Championship
11/26/2025 6:28:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
LONG BEACH, Calif. — CSUN was unable to slow a balanced UC Santa Barbara attack Wednesday night, falling in straight sets 25-13, 25-17, 25-18 in The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2025 Outrigger Big West Women's Volleyball Championship First-Round match at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid.
The Matadors (17-13) struggled to find rhythm offensively, hitting .036 as a team while the Gauchos (23–8) countered with a .296 attack percentage and 13 total blocks. Junior Hailey Brockway led CSUN with 11 kills (.097), adding nine digs, while Leah Miller contributed seven kills (.091).
CSUN fell behind early in the opening set as UCSB opened the match on a 7–0 run. The Matadors never recovered, hitting -.030 in the frame. Brockway and Amaris Smith combined for seven kills, but the Gauchos sided out at a 76% clip to take the set 25–13.
The second set offered tighter stretches, with Miller and Brockway sparking a 3–0 run that tied the score 10–10. However, UCSB pulled away behind Eva Travis' five kills and Emma McDermott's presence at the net, closing the set on a 12-7 surge to win 25-17.
CSUN mounted several small pushes in the third set, including a late 4-1 run that cut the deficit to 22-16, but Travis and Kiersten Schmitt delivered timely kills to finish the match. The Matadors hit their best percentage of the night at .105 in the final frame, led by Miller's three kills and steady setting from Taylor Dunlap (13 assists).
Paige Sentes matched Brockway with a team-high nine digs to go with three assists, while Hayley Ogden added five kills (.286) and one block. UCSB's defense, though, proved decisive as the Gauchos posted a 13–3 advantage in total team blocks.
HEAD COACH AQUILES MONTOYA SAID
"Well, it wasn't the ending that we wanted. We spent time in the locker room after the match talking about what this season has meant to our department and program moving forward. This team is a reflection of what we believed in and staying the course from when I first got hired.
"It's a great mix of returners that were transfers after I was hired and those who loved CSUN before I was brought in. We thank our three incredible seniors who wrapped up their careers as winners here at Northridge, and that this program will keep moving forward due to the hard work and loyalty that they had to us. We believe that there are still more great things to come down the road, but are so grateful to our amazing student-athletes and fans who stood by us during the tough times so that we could accomplish all that we did this year. I feel incredibly lucky and am grateful to have coached this group and the future groups of this program."
CSUN now looks ahead to the offseason after reaching double-digit conference wins for the first time since joining the Big West.
#GoMatadors
The Matadors (17-13) struggled to find rhythm offensively, hitting .036 as a team while the Gauchos (23–8) countered with a .296 attack percentage and 13 total blocks. Junior Hailey Brockway led CSUN with 11 kills (.097), adding nine digs, while Leah Miller contributed seven kills (.091).
CSUN fell behind early in the opening set as UCSB opened the match on a 7–0 run. The Matadors never recovered, hitting -.030 in the frame. Brockway and Amaris Smith combined for seven kills, but the Gauchos sided out at a 76% clip to take the set 25–13.
The second set offered tighter stretches, with Miller and Brockway sparking a 3–0 run that tied the score 10–10. However, UCSB pulled away behind Eva Travis' five kills and Emma McDermott's presence at the net, closing the set on a 12-7 surge to win 25-17.
CSUN mounted several small pushes in the third set, including a late 4-1 run that cut the deficit to 22-16, but Travis and Kiersten Schmitt delivered timely kills to finish the match. The Matadors hit their best percentage of the night at .105 in the final frame, led by Miller's three kills and steady setting from Taylor Dunlap (13 assists).
Paige Sentes matched Brockway with a team-high nine digs to go with three assists, while Hayley Ogden added five kills (.286) and one block. UCSB's defense, though, proved decisive as the Gauchos posted a 13–3 advantage in total team blocks.
HEAD COACH AQUILES MONTOYA SAID
"Well, it wasn't the ending that we wanted. We spent time in the locker room after the match talking about what this season has meant to our department and program moving forward. This team is a reflection of what we believed in and staying the course from when I first got hired.
"It's a great mix of returners that were transfers after I was hired and those who loved CSUN before I was brought in. We thank our three incredible seniors who wrapped up their careers as winners here at Northridge, and that this program will keep moving forward due to the hard work and loyalty that they had to us. We believe that there are still more great things to come down the road, but are so grateful to our amazing student-athletes and fans who stood by us during the tough times so that we could accomplish all that we did this year. I feel incredibly lucky and am grateful to have coached this group and the future groups of this program."
CSUN now looks ahead to the offseason after reaching double-digit conference wins for the first time since joining the Big West.
#GoMatadors
Team Stats
CSUN
UCSB
Kills
34
33
Errors
30
9
Attempts
111
81
Hitting %
.036
.296
Points
37.0
51.0
Assists
28
33
Aces
0
5
Blocks
3
13
Game Leaders
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOPP
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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