California State University Northridge Athletics
2025-26 Top CSUN Moments - Two CSUN Teams Finish in the National Rankings
7/20/2026 10:02:00 AM | General, Men's Volleyball, Women's Water Polo
From July 6 to August 7, GoMatadors.com will present the top CSUN Moments from the 2025-26 sports season. Today, we celebrate the Men's Volleyball and Women's Water Polo teams who each finished their respective seasons ranked in the national polls.
CSUN Athletics produced a pair of programs that finished in national rankings in their respective sports during the 2025-26 season. CSUN Men's Volleyball finished the 2026 season ranked 18th in AVCA National Collegiate poll, while Matador Women's Water Polo finished with a No. 25 national ranking in the ACWPC top-25.
In men's volleyball, CSUN finished with a 12-15 overall record, finishing the season with a No. 18 national ranking in the final AVCA National Collegiate Coaches Poll. The Matadors, under fourth-year head coach Theo Edwards, were ranked as high as 11th in 2026 before closing the season inside the top 20 for the 18th time since the creation of the AVCA national poll in 1986.
Among CSUN's highlight wins in 2026 was a 3-1 road win at Purdue Fort Wayne, home sweeps over No. 19 Lincoln Memorial and Fort Valley State, and a pair of close 3-2 losses to No. 3 Long Beach State and on the road at No. 4 USC. Against the Trojans, senior Jordan Lucas put down a Matador season-high 30 kills on .509 hitting.
CSUN wound up the season with four student-athletes named to the 2026 All-Big West 2026 All-Conference Team as Phillips repeated as a first-team selection. Redshirt sophomore Owen Douphner was named Honorable Mention, and Grayson Albers and Noah Douphner were each named to the seven-member All-Freshman Team.
Freshman Mira Dravucz was one of three All-American honorees this season for CSUN Water Polo. She enjoyed a breakout season by leading the team in scoring with 63 goals and 90 points. Dravucz also took home an All-Big West Honorable Mention as well as All-Freshman Team honors after scoring in 24 of 26 total matches and shooting above 52 percent.
Sophomore Sofia Martinez picked up her first career All-American award following a career year in the pool, totaling 45 goals, 18 assists and 63 points for CSUN. In addition, Martinez's 35 steals led the Matadors and ranked seventh overall in the Big West.
Rounding out the All-Americans, Junior Erika Staine served as starting goalkeeper as she ranked fifth in the Big West with a 10.75 goals-against-average. Staine also finished with a career-high 157 saves and 27 steals. An All-Big West honoree as well, Staine is the first Matador goalie to receive an All-American award since 2010.
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CSUN Athletics produced a pair of programs that finished in national rankings in their respective sports during the 2025-26 season. CSUN Men's Volleyball finished the 2026 season ranked 18th in AVCA National Collegiate poll, while Matador Women's Water Polo finished with a No. 25 national ranking in the ACWPC top-25.
In men's volleyball, CSUN finished with a 12-15 overall record, finishing the season with a No. 18 national ranking in the final AVCA National Collegiate Coaches Poll. The Matadors, under fourth-year head coach Theo Edwards, were ranked as high as 11th in 2026 before closing the season inside the top 20 for the 18th time since the creation of the AVCA national poll in 1986.
The Matadors were ranked in all 16 polls in 2026, and since reclaiming a spot in the AVCA national poll in 2023, CSUN has been ranked in the top 20 for 51 consecutive polls and 61 of the last 64 AVCA national polls. CSUN has been a fixture in the national polls historically, having previously been ranked in the AVCA Top-15 for 62 consecutive weeks and 262 of the last 289 weekly polls dating back to the 2002 season.
Behind redshirt junior All-American Jalen Phillips, who became the fifth Matador in program history to earn AVCA All-America accolades in consecutive seasons, CSUN opened the season with seven wins in its opening eight matches to move up to No. 16 in the national rankings (Feb. 7).Among CSUN's highlight wins in 2026 was a 3-1 road win at Purdue Fort Wayne, home sweeps over No. 19 Lincoln Memorial and Fort Valley State, and a pair of close 3-2 losses to No. 3 Long Beach State and on the road at No. 4 USC. Against the Trojans, senior Jordan Lucas put down a Matador season-high 30 kills on .509 hitting.
CSUN wound up the season with four student-athletes named to the 2026 All-Big West 2026 All-Conference Team as Phillips repeated as a first-team selection. Redshirt sophomore Owen Douphner was named Honorable Mention, and Grayson Albers and Noah Douphner were each named to the seven-member All-Freshman Team.
Boasting one of the youngest teams in the country, the CSUN women's water polo team went 17-9 in 2026, clinching a program-record fourth straight winning season under head coach Matt Warshaw.
Once again, CSUN finished ranked in the ACWPC top-25 national poll, marking the fourth time in five seasons the program ended the season ranked. After they were left out of the top 25 at the start of the year, the Matadors would be ranked in 13 of 15 weeks during the season, and as high as No. 23.Freshman Mira Dravucz was one of three All-American honorees this season for CSUN Water Polo. She enjoyed a breakout season by leading the team in scoring with 63 goals and 90 points. Dravucz also took home an All-Big West Honorable Mention as well as All-Freshman Team honors after scoring in 24 of 26 total matches and shooting above 52 percent.
Sophomore Sofia Martinez picked up her first career All-American award following a career year in the pool, totaling 45 goals, 18 assists and 63 points for CSUN. In addition, Martinez's 35 steals led the Matadors and ranked seventh overall in the Big West.
Rounding out the All-Americans, Junior Erika Staine served as starting goalkeeper as she ranked fifth in the Big West with a 10.75 goals-against-average. Staine also finished with a career-high 157 saves and 27 steals. An All-Big West honoree as well, Staine is the first Matador goalie to receive an All-American award since 2010.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's Volleyball
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
Utility
/ Women's Water Polo
OPP
/ Men's Volleyball
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Water PoloFriday, February 13
Saturday, January 24
Thursday, December 11
Thursday, December 11