California State University Northridge Athletics
California State University at Northridge
12-12,0-8Big West
UC Irvine
17-5,5-3Big West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Irvine | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| CSUN | 23 | 18 | 18 | 0 |
No. 18 CSUN Falls to Sixth-Ranked UC Irvine in Home Finale
4/11/2026 8:56:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — Junior Jalen Phillips led all hitters with 11 kills, but No. 18 CSUN couldn't slow the attack of No. 6 UC Irvine, falling in straight sets (25-23, 25-18, 25-18) in a Big West match on Saturday at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
Phillips led CSUN with 11 kills (.348) and five digs, while Noah Douphner added 10 kills (.389), three digs, and two blocks. Grayson Albers was highly efficient, finishing with six kills on seven swings to hit .714. As a team, the Matadors hit .324 but were outpaced by UC Irvine's .392 clip.
CSUN (12-12, 0-8 Big West), which celebrated its senior class in a pre-match ceremony, led by as many as six points in the opening set before the visiting Anteaters pulled away late. A kill by Douphner gave the Matadors an early 9-3 lead, and CSUN still led by four at 15-11. UCI answered with a 6-1 run to take a 17-16 lead and still led by one at 21-20, then closed on a 4-3 run to seal the set.
After the tight first set, UC Irvine seized momentum in the second despite being out-hit .571 to .538. The Anteaters doubled CSUN's kill total (18-9) and built separation midway through the frame. After a Hank Kaufman kill put the Matadors up 12-11, UCI would score four straight heading into the media timeout. The run extended to 9-3 as the Anteaters opened up a 20-15 cushion before closing out a 25-18 win.
In improving to 17-5 overall and 5-3 in the Big West, the Anteaters hit better than .350 in every set and sided out at a high rate, including 77% in the second set.
UP NEXT
CSUN closes the regular season next week as the Matadors travel to Honolulu to take on the No. 2-ranked Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors for a pair of matches on Apr. 17-18.
#GoMatadors
