California State University Northridge Athletics
California State University at Northridge
Colorado
CSUN Opens 2026 Season at Buffs Classic in Colorado
8/26/2026 11:17:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
CSUNÂ THIS WEEK - BUFFS CLASSIC:
MATCH #1
CSUN Matadors (0-0) @ #23 Colorado Buffs (0-0)
Friday, Aug. 28, 2026 - 5 p.m. PT
CU Events Center - Boulder, Colo.
ESPN+Â //Â Live Stats
MATCH #2
CSUN Matadors vs. Denver Pioneers
Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026Â - 2Â p.m. PT
CU Events Center - Boulder, Colo.
ESPN+Â //Â Live Stats
MATCH #3
CSUN Matadors vs. Central Arkansas Bears
Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026Â - 10 a.m. PT
CU Events Center - Boulder, Colo.
ESPN+Â //Â Live Stats
In-game X updates:Â @CSUNWVB
CSUN WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL MEDIA NOTES
FORÂ STARTERS
The CSUN Matadors (0-0, 0-0 Big West) open their 51st season of women's volleyball this week, as they travel to Boulder, Colo. for the Buffs Classic at the CU Events Center. After hosting exhibition matches against UCLA and Pepperdine last week, CSUN officially opens the 2026 season against the 23rd-ranked Buffs on Friday at 5 p.m. The Matadors will then take on Denver on Saturday at 2 p.m., before closing the weekend against Central Arkansas on Sunday at 10 a.m.
FOLLOW YOUR MATADORS
All matches of the Buffs Classic will stream live on ESPN+ and will have a live stats link available at GoMatadors.com. Fans can follow CSUN Matador women's volleyball online at the official home of CSUN athletics, www.GoMatadors.com. Fans are also encouraged to check the CSUN Athletics Department's official X feed (@GoMatadors) and the volleyball-specific feed (@CSUNWVB) for news and notes throughout the week, as well as updates of matches in progress.
SCOUTING THE BUFFS CLASSIC FIELD
#23 Colorado opens its season on Friday against CSUN in its home tournament. The Buffs, one of five Big 12 teams in the AVCA Preseason Coaches' Poll, are ranked 23rd in the first poll of the 2026 season. Senior Ana Burilovic led the Big 12 in kills per set (4.71) and points per set (5.47) in 2025. Colorado was picked fifth in the Big 12 preseason poll.
Series: Friday's season opener is just the second meeting all-time between CSUN and Colorado. The Buffs claimed the first meeting, winning in straight sets at the Oregon Classic Tournament in Eugene, Ore. in 2004.
Denver opens the season Friday against Central Arkansas before meeting the Matadors on Saturday. The Pioneers officially joined the West Coast Conference in July after 13 seasons in the Summit League, Denver was picked to finish sixth in the WCC preseason poll after finishing 17-11 in 2025.Â
Series: Saturday's match is just the third meeting all-time between CSUN and Denver dating back to 2013. The Matadors won in four sets (25-18, 21-25, 28-26, 25-23) in Denver in 2013, before the Pioneers won in straight sets (25-18, 25-15, 25-21) in the most recent meeting (2021) at the USC Trojan Invitational in Los Angeles.Â
Central Arkansas open its season against Denver on Friday, before meeting CSUN on Sunday at noon. The Sugar Bears, defending ASUN champions after finishing 18-12 in 2025, were picked second in the newly formed United Athletic Conference (UAC). UCA earned one first-place vote to finish behind Eastern Kentucky in the preseason poll.Â
Series: Sunday's match is the first-ever meeting between CSUN and Central Arkansas.
CSUN TABBED SIXTH IN BIG WEST PRESEASON POLLÂ
CSUN Women's Volleyball earned 64 points to tie for sixth in the 2026 Big West Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll released on Friday, Aug. 21. The Matadors achieved their highest preseason poll position since being tabbed fifth in 2021.
Cal Poly, defending Big West champion and NCAA regional participant from a year ago, was picked to defend its title with 11 first-place votes. The Mustangs earned every possible nod and the highest points available after the Cinderella run to the Sweet 16 accumulating 121 points from the league's 12 head coaches. Second in the polling with 109 total points is Long Beach State, followed by UC Santa Barbara which pulled in 99 total points. Newcomer to the conference and 2025 WAC champion Utah Valley accumulated 84 total points and the final first-place vote to rank fourth in the poll. Fifth place belongs to Sacramento State after tallying 80 points as the squad prepares for their inaugural season as full Big West members. A tie in the votes is seen at sixth with CSUN and UC Irvine both knotted at 64 points. Sitting in eighth in the poll with 60 points is UC San Diego. The Tritons are followed by California Baptist (35 points), UC Riverside (34), Cal State Fullerton (24) and Cal State Bakersfield (18) rounds out the poll.
SENTES, KOLAR OPEN 2026 ON CSUN CAREER CHARTS
With a team-high 494 digs last season, libero Paige Sentes moved into eighth place in program history with 1,196 career digs. Sentes, who opens her senior season averaging 3.43 digs per set over 349 sets in her career, moved past three former Matadors on the career digs list last season. With her 10th dig in a 13-dig performance at UC Irvine (Oct. 11, 2025), Sentes became the 12th CSUN player to reach 1,000 digs in her career. Cindy Ortiz (2009-12) holds the all-time CSUN and rally scoring era records with 1,456 digs, while Alexis Cormier (1998-01) holds the sideout scoring era record with 1,194 career digs. Sentes was a two-time Big West Defensive Player of the Week in 2025. With 635 assists during the 2025 season, setter Katie Kolar also moved into the top 10 in CSUN history in career assists. Kolar opens her senior season with 1,769 career assists which is currently ninth in program history. She is 178 assists away from Heather Zall (1999-2000) and eighth place.
CSUN QUICK SETS
The Matadors return six starters from 2025 season's squad that finished 17-13 overall and 10-8 in the Big West. CSUN will have a senior-laden squad in 2026 that looks to build on 27 wins in head coach Aquiles Montoya's first two seasons at the helm ... Seniors Julia Bazylevych and Hailey Brockway combined for just over 400 kills last season, while senior middles Iye Okolo and Tatiana Turgeon teamed up to hit a combined .374 on 516 swings along with 198 blocks. Fellow seniors Jan Marie Duhaylungsod and Taylor Dunlap contributed 546 assists, 28 aces, and 223 digs from the setter spot in 2025 ... In addition to nine returners, the Matadors have added seven newcomers to the 16-player roster in 2026. Transfers in 2026 include Fallyn Blotzer (OH, 6-1, So.), Keniya Cleveland (MB, 6-1, Jr.), Audrey Nuckols (OH/RS, 6-2, So.), and Suzie Ponce (DS/L, 5-2, So.), while freshmen Rylee Giesen (OH, 5-10), Annie Gilmore (OH, 6-2), and Madison Jameson-Rodriguez (MB, 6-2) also join the squad ... The Matadors are 21-24 all-time in season openers dating back to 1981. CSUN is 1-1 in season openers under Montoya, falling to Seattle (3-2) in 2024 before knocking off Idaho State in five sets in 2025.
UP NEXT
Following this week's Buffs Classic, CSUN continues tournament play away from home next week. The Matadors will play a pair of matches at the Wildcat Classic at Kansas State next weekend (Sept. 4-5). CSUN will take on the host Wildcats on Friday (4:30 p.m.) before meeting Drake in a neutral site match on Saturday (9 a.m.).
The Matadors' 2026 home opener is scheduled for the following week (Sept. 11) as CSUN will host a trio of teams (UNLV, San Francisco, Fresno State) at the Linda Murphy Ridge Invitational (Sept. 11-13) at Premier America Credit Union Arena. The Matadors will meet UNLV on Friday, USF on Saturday, and Fresno State on Sunday.
#GoMatadors
