IRVINE, Calif. – The Big West unveiled its 2022 women’s volleyball conference schedule today, featuring a 20-game round-robin format, spanning 10 weeks of the fall and culminating on Thanksgiving weekend.
The first serve of Big West opponents is set of Tuesday, Sept. 20 as UC Davis hosts UC Riverside to open the conference slate, followed by a full weekend across the courts in The Big West.
The back-to-back Big West champions Hawai’i open conference play at home, hosting UC Davis and UC Riverside Sept. 23 and 24, capping a seven-game home stand. In 2021, the Rainbow Wahine lost but twice in Big West play, with both defeats coming at the hands of conference runners-up, UC Santa Barbara. Hawai'i hosts the Gauchos on Oct. 22 looking to rebound from last season's deficit. UC Santa Barbara welcomes Hawai'i to the mainland in the final weekend of regular-season play, taking on the Rainbow Wahine on Nov. 25 and looking for back-to-back home sweeps in a battle of Big West heavy-hitters.
While the Gauchos were able to dispatch the eventual conference champions in 2021, three squads were able to overpower them. UC Santa Barbara will take on UC Davis, Cal Poly and Long Beach State in consecutive weekends on the schedule, starting in Week 2 of the 2022 docket, and again in Week 7.
Last year, Hawai’i earned The Big West’s automatic bid into the NCAA Championship field after edging out UC Santa Barbara for the regular-season crown. The Rainbow Wahine dispatched No. 24 Mississippi State in a 3-2 thriller in the first round of the NCAA Championships.
New this season, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved the use of the challenge review system for all matches, beginning in 2022. All Big West matches between conference opponents will utilize the system, with two video coach's challenges available to each team to start the match. Also added to the league's awards slate in 2022, a Big West Setter of the Week will be awarded in addition to offensive, defensive and freshman honors.
Select regular-season contests are slated for telecast on the ESPN family of networks through the multi-year, multi-platform media rights agreement announced last summer. Stay tuned to the ESPN+ listings for the most up-to-date information on how to watch your favorite teams in 2022.
Get ready for the upcoming season with a look back on 2021: Standings | Stats | All-Big West Team | 2021 Recap Video