2021 Big West Men's Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll

IRVINE, Calif. (February 11, 2021) – Hawai‘i is the unanimous choice to take home the 2021 Big West men's volleyball championship, announced the head coaches in their annual preseason poll Thursday.
    
Hawai‘i enters the campaign ranked No. 1 by Off The Block and No. 2 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. The coaches voted the Rainbow Warriors first across the board as they collected all 36 points. UC Santa Barbara finished in second place with 30 points, while UC Irvine came in third with 21. The poll rounded out with UC San Diego (18), Long Beach State (15) and CSUN (6).

Below are capsules of the teams:

HAWAI‘I (15-1, 0-0 IN 2020)
• Finished the shortened 2020 season 15-1 and No. 2 in the AVCA poll
• Return two AVCA First Team All-Americans in senior opposite Rado Parapunov and junior libero Gage Worsley.
• Parapunov earned 2020 Big West Player of the Year honors. Led Big West in kills per set (4.47) and points per set (5.28).
• Seniors Colton Cowell and Patrick Gasman also return to the lineup. Both players were AVCA Second Team All-Americans in 2020.
• Led the country with a team hitting percentage of .371 last season.

UC SANTA BARBARA (14-2, 1-0 IN 2020)
• Sandwiched six-match and eight-match win streaks around their only two defeats in 2020.
• Nine of UCSB's 14 victories came against teams ranked in the AVCA Top 15.
• Finished the 2020 campaign ranked No. 3 in the final AVCA rankings. UCSB opened 2021 with the same ranking.
• Senior setter Casey McGarry is a returning AVCA First Team All-American. He ranked fourth nationally in assists per set (10.59).
• Seniors Keenan Sanders, Randy DeWeese and Roy McFarland also were named AVCA All-Americans last season.

UC IRVINE (10-7, 0-2 IN 2020)
• Completed abbreviated 2020 season and opened 2021 with identical No. 6 national ranking in AVCA poll.
• Played 13 of 17 contests against top 15 competition last year.
• Graduate student Scott Stadick and senior Joel Schneidmiller were named AVCA Second Team All-Americans.
• Stadick led the nation in blocks per set (2.03) last season and earned Big West Defensive Player of the Week five times.
• Schneidmiller was the only Big West player to rank in the top 10 in kills, hitting percentage, aces and digs.

UC SAN DIEGO (14-5, 2-1 IN 2020)
• Compiled 14-5 record, the team's most overall victories since 2001.
• Earned program high No. 6 national ranking to close out 2020. Began 2021 tied for seventh in AVCA poll.
• Senior Kyle McCauley was a recipient of two program firsts – AVCA First Team All-American and National Newcomer of the Year.
• McCauley, an outside hitter, led the Big West in kills (268) and points (299.5).

LONG BEACH STATE (10-1, 0-0 IN 2020)
• Followed up two national championship seasons with a 10-1 mark in 2020, leaning on two five-match win streaks.
• Program has not lost back-to-back matches since 2015.
• Sophomore libero Mason Briggs garnered AVCA Second Team All-American recognition, ranking No. 13 nationally in digs per set.
• Middle blocker tandem of Simon Andersen and Shane Holdaway return as AVCA Honorable Mention All-Americans.

CSUN (4-11, 0-0 IN 2020)
• Junior middle blocker Daniel Wetter returns after receiving AVCA Honorable Mention All-American recognition in 2020.
• Wetter topped the national stats in hitting percentage (.528).
• Outside hitter Kyle Hobus was named the Big West Co-Freshman of the Year with Long Beach State's Briggs.
• Hobus ranked No. 8 in the Big West in kills per set (3.15).
    
The official start of the 2021 season will be unveiled soon as schools work out potential non-conference schedules.

2021 BIG WEST MEN'S VOLLEYBALL COACHES PRESEASON POLL
 

1.	Hawai‘i (6)	36
2.	UC Santa Barbara	30
3.	UC Irvine	21
4.	UC San Diego	18
5.	Long Beach State	15
6.	CSUN	6