Top Teams Square Off In The OC This Weekend
After sweeping UC Davis to post its seventh straight victory, Long Beach State suffered its first Big West loss of the season, dropping a 3-1 contest to the Pacific Tigers to fall to 4-1 in league play. UC Irvine collected its third straight conference win last week to improve to 4-1 in the standings, tying the defending champion 49ers for first place in the Big West Conference. This week the two teams battle at Crawford Court, where the Anteaters are a perfect 5-0 this season, with the winner gaining sole possession of the coveted top spot in the league. Both teams are 1-2 against Top 25 opponents this season.
What's The Big West Tweeting About This Week
The Big West Conference is excited to bring Big West Live to Twitter, a Twitter feed designed to give fans an in-the-stands view of select Big West Events. Bringing near-instantaneous photos, commentary, and updates, Big West Live is the first feed of its kind. Moving beyond the scores and stats, Big West Live delivers the "color" of Big West events. The conference showdown between No. 25 Long Beach State and No. 21 UC Irvine at Crawford Court on Friday, Oct. 16 will be the fourth Big West Live Twitter volleyball event of the season. Match time is slated for 7:00 p.m.
Home Sweet Home
UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara have maintained a perfect record at home this season with a 5-0 mark and are putting their streaks on the line this week with a pair of conference contests. The Gauchos extended their home win streak to five last Saturday after tallying their first victory over Cal Poly since Oct. 22, 2005. The 21st-ranked Anteaters welcome No. 25 Long Beach State (10/16) and UC Riverside (10/17) to Crawford Court and the Gauchos continue their four-match homestand when they entertain Pacific (10/16) and UC Davis (10/17) at The Thunderdome.
All Good Things Must Come To An End
The Long Beach State 49ers had their conference-best seven-match win streak snapped Saturday against the Pacific Tigers, who downed their nationally ranked opponent 3-1. This marked LBSU's first conference loss of the season and first overall loss since Sept. 12 when the 49ers fell to LSU, 3-1. The 49ers still have a five-match home streak intact, but don't play at The Walter Pyramid again until Oct. 17 when they host Cal State Northridge.
Aggies Looking Good In 2009
Just six matches into conference play and UC Davis has already matched its conference win total from the previous two seasons - four. Not only have the Aggies been successful in league play, they have fared pretty well versus nonconference opponents. So far this season, the Aggies have tallied an overall mark of 13-7, already surpassing their win total from a season ago (12). In her first season at the helm of the Aggies squad (2008), head coach Jamie Holmes was responsible for helping the Aggies double their overall victory total from the previous year. Now in her second season, she is continuing to make an impact on a UC Davis squad that is on track for its best output since joining the Big West three years ago.
In Search For A Victory
Cal State Northridge and UC Riverside entered last week with winless conference records. The two teams battled at The Matadome Saturday, Oct. 10 and Cal State Northridge prevailed with a 3-1 victory to earn its first Big West win of the season. The Matadors' victory also left UC Riverside as the lone Big West team without a league win. The Highlanders get their next opportunity to post a 'W' Thursday evening when they visit Cal State Fullerton.
Pacific's Offensive Power
After two strong offensive performances against Cal State Fullerton and then-ranked No. 20 Long Beach State last week, the Pacific Tigers captured the top spot in the conference in hitting percentage with a .272 clip. The Tigers, who are led by Svenja Engelhardt (0.47 APG) also continue to hold the top spot in the league in service aces, averaging 1.88 services aces per set.
Road Woes
The Cal State Fullerton Titans may not be unbeaten at home this season but they are still impressive in front of their home town fans, boasting an 8-1 mark. The road has been more of a treacherous path for the Titans as they hold a 0-5 record when playing on their opponent's court. Cal State Fullerton returns to Titan Gym this weekend before heading to Long Beach State Oct. 24.
Cal State Northridge has also struggled away from the Matadome with a 1-7 record. The Matadors lone road win was a sweep over Bosie State in the Broncos' opening-weekend tournament. Cal State Northridge travels to Cal State Fullerton and No. 25 Long Beach State this week.
49ers Return To The Court As Conference Favorite
The Long Beach State women's volleyball team was selected to win its second straight, 10th overall, Big West Championship after receiving four first-place votes and 75 total points, according to the conference coaches in the annual Big West womens volleyball preseason coaches poll. The 49ers, looking to secure a 23rd consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2009, enter the season as defending Big West champions after capturing their ninth title a season ago with a 13-3 conference mark.
Live On The Net
The Big West Conference and the CBS College Sports Network are partnering to bring you exclusive coverage of Big West sports, press conferences, interviews and features into your home via the Internet! Now in its fifth year, BigWest.TV covers every home and conference contest in women's volleyball as well as men's and women's basketball. Also covered are select contests in men's and women's soccer, baseball, softball, and Big West Conference Championships. A monthly subscription of $9.95 or an annual subscription of $79.95 delivers exclusive coverage to you. If you cant make it to the gym or the field, you can still catch all the action on BigWest.TV!