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What 2 Watch 4
Another full weekend of non-conference action is on tap around The Big West with every squad hitting the court.
Cal State Bakersfield, Long Beach State, UC Irvine and Hawai’i all play host in the second week of the season. Oregon State, Seattle and Nevada head to Bakersfield for the four-team Roadrunner Classic while the Anteaters welcome in Idaho State, Portland and Bradley for the UCI/adidas Invitational. Meanwhile, Hawai’i hosts Pepperdine for a pair on the weekend.
Along with home games to watch, two Big West sides take on ranked competition as Cal Poly meets up with No. 15 Florida State as well as taking on Auburn and Troy in Alabama. UC Santa Barbara faced off against a third ranked squad of the season against No. 16 Arizona State as part of a weekend schedule that includes contests against St. John’s and San Diego. Both ranked foes dot the Friday schedule.
Various home and road contests will air on ESPN+ throughout the 2024 campaign. Check listings for specific match information.
Last Week, Today
- UC San Diego (3-0) - The Tritons opened the Melanie Greene era with a trio of victories at the UC San Diego Invitational over Northern Arizona, Southern Utah and Gonzaga. UCSD was led by tournament MVP and Big West Freshman of the Week Molly McCluskey. The opposite hitter from Costa Mesa, Calif., averaged 3.42 kills and 4.13 points per set to go along with 1.75 digs per set in 12 frames of action. Freshman libero Paulina Baillie came up clutch and claimed Big West Defensive Player of the Week with 20 digs in the collegiate debut and an average of 4.75 digs per set to land on the All-Tournament Team alongside McCluskey.
- Hawai’i (2-0) - The defending Big West champions got off to a two-win weekend as victors of the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic with junior Caylen Alexander nabbing MVP. The outside hitter posted two double-doubles and averaged 5.00 kills per set, including a 28-kill outing to open the campaign against SMU. Alexander ignited the comeback win with 10 kills on .444 hitting in the second set of the match. Senior Kate Lang distributed 76 assists (8.44 per set) to help steady a new-look lineup and freshman libero Victoria Leyva landed on the All-Tournament Team.
- Cal Poly (2-1) - The preseason favorites served up the season at home and redshirt senior Tommi Stockham contributed two double-doubles to pace the Mustangs offense. Stockham pounded 21 kills in the 3-1 opening win against Sacramento State and added 13 on an efficient .429 hitting in the sweep against Saint Mary’s to highlight the week.
- UC Irvine (2-1) - The Anteaters were paced by graduate student Hunter Riedl in all three matches at the Lobo Invitational as the squad picked up a win over North Dakota and a sweep of host New Mexico. Riedl was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 3.50 kills and 4.21 points per set. Another highlight was a career-high eight total blocks for senior Ofure Iselen to go along with seven kills on .462 hitting against the Lobos.
- UC Davis (2-2) - The Aggies played a four-game road swing in Indiana that included two wins at the Stecey Clark Classic and a date at eighth-ranked Purdue. Olivia Utterback was named to the All-Tournament Team highlighted by an 18-kill effort in the season opening win against UMBC followed by a second double-double in the five-set victory against Kansas State.
- Cal State Bakersfield (1-2) - Senior middle blocker Samia Bhakta was a standout performer for the Highlanders at the Utah Valley Invitational, punctuated by a season-opening eight kills on .667 hitting, five service aces and four blocks in a win against UMKC. Bhakta claimed All-Tournament distinction for the weekend’s efforts.
CSUN (1-2) - The Matadors went 1-2 at the Idaho State Tournament, paced by the play of Big West Offensive Player of the Week Amaris Smith and Setter of the Week Katie Kolar. The awards are first career nods for both players. Smith was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 5.29 kills and 1.57 digs per set. In Saturday’s five-set win against San Diego State, Smith went off for 29 kills which stands as the most for a Matador hitter since 2015. Kolar registered three consecutive double-doubles while handing out 153 assists and scooping up 43 digs. The 10.93 assist per set average leads The Big West after the first weekend of action.
- UC Santa Barbara (1-2) - The Gauchos took a trip to Tallahassee, Fla., to open the year, falling to No. 20 Florida State and No. 25 Georgia, but notching the victory against South Florida to cap the weekend. Andi Kreiling was big on the block with 12 over the three matches (1.0 b/s), and hit .372 with 23 total kills.
- Long Beach State (0-2), Cal State Fullerton (0-3) and UC Riverside (0-4) are still looking for their first wins of the season. LBSU opened with two ranked foes, dropping matches against No. 4 Pittsburgh and No. 10 Oregon.
Road Warriors
Big West teams are road warriors, competing coast-to-coast in nine states and the District of Columbia after the first week of action. Along with the home states of California and Hawai’i, teams have already competed in: Florida, Idaho, Indiana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Virginia. Alabama, Washington and Maryland are set to up the tally to a dozen after week two.
Welcome to The Big West
Three new head coaches come into the fold, with Long Beach State being led by Natalie Reagan, UC San Diego tapping Melanie Greene to the first chair and CSUN bringing in Aquiles Montoya to lead the program.
On the Beach bench as assistant in 2023, Reagan previously led Harvard-Westlake to the California State Championship and has experience assisting at LMU, Nebraska and alma mater Oregon State. Before being tapped to head the Tritons, the San Diego native Greene had been involved in the San Diego State program – both as a coach and as a student-athlete – since 2004. Montoya's path to CSUN came by way of the Pacific Northwest, with stints on the staff at Portland State, Pacific (DIII), and Portland.
Officially Official
After completing a four-year reclassification process from Division II, UC San Diego is now fully eligible for The Big West and national postseason in all sports, beginning in 2024-25.
Beach vs. ’Bows on ESPNU
The Big West will be part of the robust women’s volleyball linear broadcasting coverage on the ESPN family networks, when Long Beach State hosts Hawai’i at Walter Pyramid on Saturday, Oct. 5. First serve on ESPNU is slated for 7:30 p.m. PT/4:30 p.m. HT.
The contest will be a rematch of the inaugural 2023 Big West Women’s Volleyball Championship finale, where No. 2 seed UH got the best of fourth-seeded host LBSU, 3-0. The crowd of 2,237 fans stood as the highest 2023 Division I women’s volleyball conference championship final match attendance.
2024 Preseason Prognostications
With a tight race to the top of the tally and four teams recording first-place votes, the Cal Poly Mustangs have been picked to claim the Big West crown, according to the league’s 11 head coaches.
The Mustangs recorded 94 total points and five first-place votes in the 2024 Big West Women’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll to sail to the top of the standings, nine points clear of closest competitor and 2023 Big West Championship victor, Hawai’i.
Cal Poly retains five starters from the 2023 season and over 90 percent of their production in kills, sets, and blocks highlighted Big West Preseason Coaches’ Team selection Tommi Stockham. The redshirt senior outside hitter is attempting to become just the second Mustang and 14th player in Big West history to make the Four-Time First Team list in 2024. The Mustangs are seeking a first Big West title since 2018.
Second in the polling with 85 points and three first-place votes is the Rainbow Wahine, winners of the inaugural Big West Championship and NCAA participant in 30 consecutive seasons, since 1993. The ‘Bows have won four straight Big West titles, claiming the regular-season crown in 2019, ’21 and ’22 to go along with last season’s win as the No. 2 seed in The Big West bracket.
Hawai’i owns two spots on the Preseason All-Big West team in 2022 Big West Setter of the Year Kate Lang and junior outside hitter Caylen Alexander.
Long Beach State also boasts two preseason picks in 2023 Setter of the Year Zayna Meyer and senior outside hitter Natalie Glenn.
The Beach are just two points behind UH in the final tally after the 2023 runners-up clocked 83 points and two first-place votes.
Defending regular-season victor and NCAA participant UC Santa Barbara comes in fourth in the polling with 75 total points and the final first-place nod.
UC San Diego is slotted in fifth with 63 points and see senior Ava McInnes earn the preseason team nod. The final member of the Big West Preseason Coaches’ Team is UC Davis senior opposite hitter Olivia Utterback.
2023 Season Rewind
For the 35th time since the first bracket was unveiled in 1981, The Big West had multiple teams dancing in the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship Field.
Big West Champion Hawai’i earned the automatic qualifying berth after sweeping through Long Beach State to claim the inaugural crown at the 2023 Outrigger Big West Women’s Volleyball Championship. Regular-season Big West victors UC Santa Barbara earned an at-large bid into the field after compiling a 27-4 overall record on the year with a 17-1 mark in league action.
UH downed seventh-seeded Iowa State in the first round before falling to second-seeded quadrant host Oregon. The trip to Eugene marked is making an impressive 41st trip to the NCAA Championship, and 30th consecutive for the Rainbow Wahine.
UC Santa Barbara enjoyed a trip to the national postseason for the 30th time, the last since 2019 when The Big West saw a trio of teams in the bracket. The Gauchos dueled with No. 8 seed Houston in Stanford, Calif., falling to the Cougars in four.
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