California State University Northridge Athletics
California State University at Northridge
12-6,0-2Big West
Jessup University (Calif.)
6-10,0-4MPSFMVB
#17 CSUN Tops Jessup, 3-1 as Phillips Reaches 1,000 Career Kills
3/19/2026 8:41:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — Junior Jalen Phillips had a milestone night as 17th-ranked CSUN bounced back from an opening-set loss to defeat Jessup University, 3-1 (23-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-23) in a non-conference match on Thursday night at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
CSUN (12-6) hit .282 as a team and took control after a slow start, using some timely kills and a dominant blocking presence to hold off visiting Jessup over the final three sets.
Phillips, who led the Matadors with 19 kills, became the 16th CSUN player to reach 1,000 career kills with his 13th kill in the third set. Phillips wound up hitting .308 on 39 swings, while Joao Avila and Hank Kaufman added 10 kills apiece. Kaufman hit .300 on 20 attacks, while Avila connected at a .185 clip on a career-high 27 swings.
Setter Owen Douphner notched his first career double-double with 46 assists and a career-high 11 digs as CSUN hit .369 over the final three sets after hitting just .061 in the opener.
After dropping a tight first set that featured 19 ties, CSUN responded with a decisive second frame, pulling away late behind improved serving and transition offense. The Matadors then dominated the third set, hitting .407 while holding Jessup to .125 to seize the momentum.
In the fourth set, CSUN erased a pair of 4-point Jessup leads and closed the match on a 9-5 run to secure the victory, capitalizing on Jessup's hitting errors and key swings from Phillips and Avila.
The Matadors also controlled the net, finishing with 11 total team blocks compared to five for Jessup, while limiting the Warriors to a .190 hitting percentage.
Jonas Mueller led Jessup (6-10) with a match-high 20 kills.
HEAD COACH THEO EDWARDS SAID
"I feel like in the spirit of March Madness time, tonight was a match we needed to survive. We started slow, but turned it on and got to play more of our style of volleyball. Tonight was kind of a culmination of the work the guys have been doing, but it's Big West matches from here on out. It was great to celebrate Jalen getting his 1,000th career kill. He's had a heck of a career so far, and incredibly excited where he's headed."
UP NEXT
After closing out the non-conference portion of the 2026 schedule with a 12-4 record, CSUN returns to Big West play next week, taking on No. 2 Long Beach State in a home-and-home series Mar. 27-28.
#GoMatadors
