California State University Northridge Athletics
California State University at Northridge
7-1,0-0Big West
Edward Waters University
1-3,0-0SIAC
No. 17 CSUN Improves to 7-1 With 3-0 Win Over Edward Waters
1/30/2026 7:39:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — Freshman Noah Douphner finished with a team-high 10 kills and No. 17 CSUN hit .431 as a team in a straight-set victory over Edward Waters in a non-conference match on Friday night at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
Set scores were 25-14, 25-17, 25-19 as the Matadors improved to 7-1, matching their best start since 2016.
CSUN controlled the match from the opening serve, posting double-digit leads in each set while holding Edward Waters to a .136 hitting percentage. The Matadors recorded 40 kills on 65 attacks and finished with a 38-22 edge in assists.
Douphner hit .250 on 20 swings, while adding a season-high three aces in just his second start of the season. Hank Kaufman added five kills on six swings (.833), while Boaz Serson chipped in six kills (.444), three digs, and one block. Owen Douphner posted 37 assists and added five digs, and one ace as the Matadors scored seven points directly from the service line.
CSUN jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the opening set and never let Edward Waters recover, closing the frame on a 6-1 run. The Matadors maintained momentum in the second set behind efficient sideout play, hitting .474 while forcing eight EWU attacking errors over the final two sets.
Edward Waters held an early 7-2 lead in the third set, but CSUN answered with a decisive 11-4 run to open up a 13-11 cushion. After the Tigers scored twice to tie the score, the Matadors answered with a 12-6 scoring run to close the match, 25-19.
Parfait Mugabo led Edward Waters with 12 kills, but the Tigers were limited to 23 total kills. CSUN totaled 4.5 blocks and held Edward Waters below .188 hitting in all three sets.
HEAD COACH THEO EDWARDS SAID
I thought we played well, it's always good to get a lot of guys in the match. Some guys that haven't played a ton this season, Niall (Finnegan), Nir (Eitan), and Boaz (Serson) all played incredibly well. Noah (Douphner) did some nice things, he's a really talented player and has a bunch of different skill sets. For us, it's all about progress, and we're really looking forward to some great challenges ahead of us."
UP NEXT
CSUN hits the road to face No. 4 USC next Wednesday (Feb. 4) at 7 p.m., before returning to Northridge to host No. 6 Pepperdine on Friday (Feb. 6) at 6 p.m.
#GoMatadors
