Games 3 + 4
Lindenwood (1-1, 0-0 MIVA)
vs.  #12 CSUN (3-0, 0-0 Big West) | Menlo College (0-2, 0-0 MPSF)
Game Information:
Dates: Friday January 16, 2026 | Saturday, January 17, 2026
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Venue: Hyland Arena
First Serve: 7:00 PM CT | 7:00 PM CT
All-Time Series: 2-3 | N/A
Last Meeting: L, 1-3 | N/A
Live Stats: Lindenwood vs #12 CSUN/Menlo College
Watch: ESPN+

Last Time Out
The Lindenwood Men's Volleyball team split their first two matches of the 2026 season with a 0-3 loss to #3 Long Beach State on Friday night before bouncing back and sweeping Vanguard University 3-0  on Saturday afternoon. Luke Kraft led the Lions with 20 total kills over the first two matches played, including 13 kills in the win over Vanguard. The Junior Opposite Hitter finished the match against Vanguard with a .545 hitting percentage and added two service aces to help Lindenwood pick up win number one on the season. Brendan Louthain and Caden Whiteside also had good weekends for the Black and Gold, as Louthain finished the first two matches with 13 kills followed by Whiteside with 12. Zach Solomon finished with 54 assists across six sets played, and is averaging nine assists per set through two matches played. Solomon also has five service aces so far on the young season which is tied for second in the MIVA. 

Scouting #12 CSUN
CSUN enters the Under Armour Challenge with a 3-0 record defeating Maryville, Harvard, and Kentucky State. The Matadors have six players who have 10 or more kills on the 2026 season and are led by Redshirt Sophomore Outside Hitter Hank Kaufman. Kaufman has played in eight sets and has totaled 26 points and 23 kills, both of which lead the team. Defensively, Sophomore Middle Blocker Joao Favarim has eight blocks in eight sets played to lead CSUN. The Matadors enter the matchup with the Lions ranked #12 in the AVCA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Poll. 

The Lions are currently 2-3 all-time against CSUN, with their most recent matchup being a 1-3 loss in Northridge, CA. Aidan Curcuru and Brendan Louthain combined for 15 kills in that matchup, with Curcuru finishing with eight kills on a .417 hitting percentage. Despite trailing in the all-time series, Lindenwood is 2-0 in Hyland Arena against the Matadors and will look to continue that success on Friday night. 

Scouting Menlo College
Menlo enters the Under Armour Challenge with an 0-2 record on the 2026 season. Offensively, Outside Hitter Ty Carson leads Menlo in kills (16) and points (20). In Menlo's most recent match, Carson had 10 kills across five sets as they were defeated by UC Santa Cruz. On the defensive side, Freshman Middle Blocker Max Jarrett has 11 blocks in eight sets played. Jarrett picked up eight block assists in the five set loss to UC Santa Cruz on Saturday.

The match between Menlo and Lindenwood marks the first all-time meeting for the two squads. 

Up Next
Lindenwood will remain at home as they will host Quincy Univeristy on Wednesday, January 21 in Hyland Arena. First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT.