California State University Northridge Athletics
California State University at Northridge
7-4,0-0Big West
UCLA
11-0,3-0MPSF
No. 17 CSUN Drops Straight-Set Decision at Top-Ranked UCLA
2/13/2026 10:07:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — No. 1 UCLA hit .403 as a team and pulled away late in each set to defeat No. 17 CSUN 25-18, 25-20, 25-22 on Thursday night in a non-conference match at Pauley Pavilion.
The Matadors (7-4) showed flashes of efficiency early but couldn't sustain their attack against the unbeaten Bruins, who improved to 11-0.
CSUN hit .241 for the match, led by junior opposite Jalen Phillips with 14 kills on .393 hitting to go with five digs and a pair of blocks. Jordan Lucas added eight kills (.167) and one dig, while setter Owen Douphner dished out 24 assists on the Matadors' 32 kills.
UCLA countered with 40 kills and a balanced offensive effort. David Decker had a team-high 11 kills on .625 hitting, Sean Kelly added 10 kills (.369), and Micah Wong Diallo contributed seven kills on .545 efficiency.
CSUN opened the match with its strongest stretch, hitting .458 in the first set and staying within reach at 16-13 following a service ace from Grayson Albers. But the hosts put together a set-clinching 9-5 run, capitalizing on some late miscues by the Matadors to take the opener 25-18.
The Matadors battled through 10 ties in the second set and held a 17-16 lead following an Albers kill. CSUN was within 18-17 before the Bruins created separation behind some tough serving and a late block to secure a 25-20 decision.
In the third, CSUN forced an early UCLA timeout when kills by Phillips and Lucas opened up a 7-2 lead. The Bruins responded with a 9-1 run to take their first lead of the set at 11-9. After trailing by as many as five, CSUN rallied back to within 23-22 after a Douphner service ace and a Phillips kill, but the Bruins closed it out on back-to-back points to complete the sweep.
CSUN finished with five team blocks to UCLA's four, but the Matadors were out-aced 7-3 and out-dug 26-18.
UP NEXT
The Matadors return home next week, opening a three-match homestand on Wednesday against No. 19 Lincoln Memorial at 6 p.m.
#GoMatadors
