California State University Northridge Athletics
California State University at Northridge
12-9,0-5Big West
UC Santa Barbara
12-9,3-3Big West
Short-Handed Matadors Fall in Straight Sets at No. 8 UC Santa Barbara
4/2/2026 9:52:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Freshman Noah Douphner came off the bench to put down a team-high 11 kills, but 18th-ranked CSUN could not overcome an early deficit in a straight-sets loss to No. 8 UC Santa Barbara in a Big West match on Thursday night at the Thunderdome.
Forced to play the match without its top hitter, Jalen Phillips, the Matadors fell 25-19, 25-19, 25-22, dropping to 12-9 overall and 0-5 in conference play. The host Gauchos improved to 12-9 overall and 3-3 in the Big West.
CSUN hit .247 as a team, led by Douphner's 11 kills (.421) and 12.0 points, while Malcolm King added 10 kills on an efficient .467 hitting clip. Owen Douphner led the offense with 25 assists and chipped in six kills on .600 hitting.
The Matadors struggled to establish rhythm early, hitting just .143 in the opening set and .115 in the second. UC Santa Barbara took advantage, siding out at a high rate and controlling both sets wire-to-wire, with CSUN unable to generate a lead in either frame.
CSUN responded with its strongest stretch in the third set, hitting .481 and briefly taking a 20-19 lead after back-to-back kills from Noah Douphner and a service ace by Owen Douphner. But the Gauchos took advantage of a CSUN service error and an ace to close the match on a 6-2 run to seal the sweep.
Defensively, CSUN finished with 20 digs and 5.5 total team blocks, but could not consistently slow UC Santa Barbara's attack. The Gauchos wound up hitting .351 for the match and recorded eight service aces.
Shane Nhem added five kills (.444) and two blocks for the Matadors, while Grayson Albers contributed three kills (.222) in the loss.
UP NEXT
The same two teams will complete the season series on Saturday in Northridge. First serve at Premier America Credit Union Arena is scheduled for 6 p.m.
#GoMatadors
