Long Beach State Returns 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 women's 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. Last year's title was Long Beach State's first title since tying with UC Santa Barbara in 2005. Long Beach State returns three starters and seven letterwinners from a 2008 roster that registered an overall record of 26-6 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Trio Of Coaches Make Big West Debut In 2009
UC Irvine, UC Riverside and Pacific will all feature a new face at the helm of their respective programs.
Three-time Olympian Paula Weishoff was named head coach of the UC Irvine women's volleyball program last December to succeed Charlie Brande, who retired after nine seasons as the Anteaters' head coach. Weishoff served the past five seasons as head coach at Concordia University, Irvine, which won 146 matches during her tenure. She guided the Eagles to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national finals twice and the semifinals on two other occasions in her five years at the university. Weishoff was named NAIA Coach of the Year in 2008 after leading Concordia to a 31-6 overall record and the national championship match.
UC Riverside hired Ron Larsen over the summer as just the second head women's volleyball coach in the program's history. Larsen replaces Sue Gozansky, who retired last season after 39 years at the helm of the Highlander volleyball team. He joins the Highlanders after four years as the top assistant coach for the USA Men’s National Volleyball Team. The international sporting world was introduced to Larsen most recently when he took over for Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon at the 2008 Olympic Games, coaching the U.S. Men’s Team in its first three contests. Larsen coached the U.S. Men’s Team to three pool play victories against Venezuela, Italy and Bulgaria before McCutcheon returned to the team, which went on to win the Olympic gold medal for the first time since 1988.
David Johnson was named interim head coach of the Pacific women's program after former head coach Charlie Wade resigned from his position to take over Hawaii's men's program. Johnson has spent the last seven seasons as an assistant coach at Pacific. He was in charge of all phases of recruiting for the Tigers, oversaw all video-related duties for the Tiger volleyball program, served as the club director for Club Pacific Volleyball Team and plays a critical role in practice and pre-match preparation for the Tigers. David joined the Tigers from Stanford following the Cardinal's 2001 national championship season. A volunteer assistant coach at Stanford, Johnson's primary responsibilities for the Cardinal included the handling of video and scouting analysis, as well as assisting in all phases of training, pre-match scouting and practice. He worked at Stanford from 1999-2001.
Cal Poly, UC Irvine Welcome Top Newcomers
In the annual prepvolleyball.com Top 30 recruiting class poll, two Big West Conference teams made the cut - Cal Poly and UC Irvine. The Mustangs were selected ninth overall, while the Anteaters were tabbed 24th. Four other Big West schools received various honorable mention honors - UC Santa Barbara, Pacific, UC Davis and Long Beach State.
Long Beach State Begins 2009 Ranked In National Poll
Long Beach State will debut in the Top 25 for the third consecutive season, ranking No. 23 in the AVCA Preseason Poll. While the 49ers are the only Big West team ranked in the preseason poll, Cal Poly and UC Irvine both received votes.
Top Players Return For Upcoming Season
Eight players from the 2008 All-Big West First Team return to their respective squads for the 2009 season. Defending champion Long Beach State welcomes back the most honorees with a trio consisting of senior Brittney Herzog, senior Naomi Washington and sophomore Caitlin Ledoux, the 2008 Big West Freshman of the Year recipient. Also included on the list are junior Dominique Olowolafe (Cal Poly), junior Cami Croteau (Cal State Fullerton), senior Angela Hupp (Cal State Northridge), junior Kari Pestolesi (UC Irvine) and senior Mallori Gibson (Pacific).
Opening-Weekend Tournament Frenzy Includes Top 25 Battles
All nine Big West schools open the 2009 season competing in a variety of volleyball tournaments scattered among the western states. Two conference schools, Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton, have the luxury of opening the season in front of their hometown fans. The 49ers welcome nationally-ranked competition, No. 15 San Diego and No. 2 Texas, to the Walter Pyramid for the Long Beach State Baden Classic. Joining the Titans in The Crowne Plaza Titan Classic is Lamar, Appalachian State and Idaho. Both local tournaments run Friday, Aug. 28-Saturday, Aug. 29.
UC Irvine and UC Riverside also battle top 25 opponents at their respective tournaments this weekend. The Anteaters take on the sixth-ranked California Golden Bears in their season-opening contest at the Nevada Mariott Courtyard/Fairfield Invitational. Saturday, Aug. 29 opens with a bang for the Highlanders as they face No. 17 Utah on the Utes' home court for the Utah Classic.
See What The Big West Conference Is Tweeting About
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 No. 23 Long Beach State-No. 2 Texas volleyball match on Saturday, Aug. 29 at 7:00 p.m. will be the first-ever Big West Live Twitter event.
Home Sweet Home
In 2008 the Long Beach State 49ers tallied a 14-1 home record. Their lone loss was back on Sept. 20, 2008 against Santa Clara (3-0). With that being said, Long Beach State enters the new year with a current 10-match win streak at The Walter Pyramid.
Fullerton's Zimmerman Eyeing 100th Career Win
Current head coach Carolyn Zimmerman, the all-time winningest coach in Cal State Fullerton history, enters the new season with 90 career wins. Currently in her eighth year at the helm of the Titans squad, Zimmerman has guided the Titans to a .500-or-better overall record four of the last five seasons.
California Girls
The Big West Conference is a California-only league and two schools have followed suit with their 2009 lineups. UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara each showcase rosters comprising entirely of players from the Golden State. In 2008, the Aggies were the lone Big West members to have their complete roster hailing from California.
Crowning The Champion
Of the nine current members in the Big West Conference, four of them have captured at least one Big West title- Cal Poly, Long Beach State, UC Santa Barbara and Pacific. Long Beach State leads the quartet with nine conference championships, followed by UC Santa Barbara and Pacific with five apiece. The Mustangs round out the field with three titles.