California State University Northridge Athletics
California State University at Northridge
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USC
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No. 16 CSUN's Upset Bid Comes up Just Short at No. 4 USC
2/4/2026 9:41:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Junior Jordan Lucas pounded a career-high 30 kills as No. 16 CSUN pushed fourth-ranked USC to the brink before falling in five sets in a non-conference match on Wednesday night at the Galen Center.
Set scores were 25-19, 25-20, 19-25, 17-25, 15-13 as the Trojans improved to 6-0, while the Matadors slipped to 7-2.
CSUN rallied from a two-set deficit behind an impressive offensive turnaround, forcing a decisive fifth set against the unbeaten Trojans. CSUN wound up hitting .376 for the match and out-blocked USC 14.5-7.0, turning momentum with dominant play at the net in sets three and four.
Lucas led all players with 30 kills, hitting an impressive .509 on 53 swings. He also had eight digs, three block assists, and one ace to finish with a match-high 32.5 points. Junior Jalen Phillips added 20 kills (.302), and Joao Avila chipped in eight kills (.235) and a match-high 10 digs. Setter Owen Douphner directed the offense with a career-high 55 assists as CSUN posted 67 kills overall.
After the host Trojans out-hit the Matadors .455 to .288 over the first two sets, CSUN bounced back by hitting .412 in the third set and .650 in the fourth while holding USC to a .149 clip over the two sets. In the fourth set, the Matadors committed just a pair of errors on 34 swings while piling up six team blocks to even the match.
The fifth set was tight throughout, featuring seven ties. CSUN pulled to within one late (14-13) on a triple block, but USC used a kill on the ensuing point to seal the 15-13 win, handing the Matadors just their second loss of the season.
HEAD COACH THEO EDWARDS SAID
"We outplayed them in multiple levels of the game. I was proud of the fights out of the guys. We took our foot off the gas in that 5th set, and it ended up being a learning lesson. We'll regroup and get ready for Pepperdine on Friday."
UP NEXT
CSUN returns home on Friday to host No. 6 Pepperdine inside Premier America Credit Union Arena. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
#GoMatadors
