|
What 2 Watch 4
And then there was one! UC Davis (10-4, 6-0 BW) has emerged as the last unbeaten team in conference play and take their seven-match winning streak on the road to Cal State Bakersfield at CSUN this week.
Right behind in the standings, Long Beach State (12-5, 5-1 BW) plays host to UC San Diego Thursday and then welcomes perennial powerhouse Hawai’i to Walter Pyramid on Friday for a nationally televised match on ESPNU. The Beach and ’Bows are slated for a 6 o’clock first serve.
Other teams playing host for a pair this week are Cal Poly (13-5, 4-2 BW) and UC Santa Barbara (12-6, 4-2 BW). The Mustangs sport a perfect 9-0 mark in home matches on the season with UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton coming into the Mott Athletic Center. After opening the week on the road in Long Beach, UCSD finishes at home on Saturday against UH in their split week.
All told, 10 of 11 matches this week are set to air on the ESPN family of networks. Check listings for specific match information.
Watch Us Work - Beach vs. 'Bows on ESPNU
For the second straight season, the match between historical powers Hawai’i and Long Beach State will be broadcast to a national television audience. Tune in to ESPNU at 6 p.m. PT/3 p.m. HT on Friday, Oct. 15 as the Beach host the 'Bows at Walter Pyramid. Read more >>>
Last Week, Today
• Player of the Week honors went to Breeze Czapinski (offensive) and Mia Starr (setter) of UC Davis with UC Riverside’s Jessica Dean (defensive) and Logan King (freshman) of Long Beach State earning the nod. For Starr and King, the awards come in back-to-back fashion. Read more >>>
The Big West in the Rankings
• Cal Poly, Long Beach State, UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara all find themselves in the national Top 25 in various statistical categories, with the Aggies’ defense allowing opponents to hit a paltry 0.151 this season, which ranks eighth in Division 1.
• Four student-athletes dot the individual listingss with a pair in the Top 25 in hitting percentage. UC Santa Barbara’s Layanna Green rocketed up to eighth nationally (.414 to .446) with Ally Chandler in 17th with a .417 average.
Weekly Roundup
UC Davis (10-4, 6-0 BW)
The Aggies ran their home record to 4-0 and extended the streak to seven wins after downing UC San Diego in five before handing Long Beach State their first loss in league play, halting a nine-match winning streak. Big West Offensive Player of Week Breeze Czapinski averaged 3.88 kills per set on .436 hitting on the week to lead the charge. In Saturday’s win over the beach, Czapinski put down a career-high 17 kills with three blocks in the four-setter. Back-to-back Setter of the Week Mia Starr directed the offense with 10.44 assists per set highlighted by 45 assists and 15 digs for the double-double against LBSU. Allie Caldwell was big at the net with 1.67 blocks per set, including eight with two solo stuffs against the Beach. Caldwell finished with 15 total blocks on the week. The 6-0 start to Big West play marks their best beginning to league action as a Division I institution.
Cal Poly (13-5, 4-2 BW)
The Mustangs recorded a five-set win over UC Santa Barbara in the Blue-Green Rivalry to open the week on Tuesday before sweeping through Hawai’i on O’ahu in Friday’s matchup. Emma Fredrick averaged 2.63 kills and 2.63 digs per set for Cal Poly, including a 12-kill, 14-dig double-double against the Rainbow Wahine. Libero Elif Hurriyet helped hold down the back line, allowing their opponents to hit a combined .187. With Emme Bullis directing the offense, Cal Poly upped their season hitting percentage to .280, which stands in 19th in NCAA Division I.
Split ‘Em Up
• Seven teams saw a 1-1 record on the weekend: Cal State Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Long Beach State, UC Irvine, UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara.
• UC Riverside outlasted UC San Diego in a five-set win as Sophia Ewalefo put up a career-high 26 kills on .328 hitting with 14 digs. Big West Defensive Player of the Week Jessica Dean added a career-best 30 digs with eight assists in the victorious effort.
• Cal State Bakersfield’s win came on the road at UC Irvine in sweeping fashion, with Suelen Lima contributing 20 kills and Nele Broszat denying seven attacks from the middle blocker position. The freshman averaged 1.71 blocks per set on the week.
• Cal State Fullerton swept through CSUB on Saturday with senior Ketesia Hall contributing eight kills and five blocks in the three-setter.
• UC Irvine’s win came against CSUN where Kendra Duffey powered down 18 kills on .333 hitting with seven digs.
• UC Santa Barbara dispatched Hawai’i in four on O’ahu, with Layanna Green tallying 11 kills. Green hit an eye-popping .649 for the week to leap up to .446 hitting for the season, which rates eighth in the country. Green also recorded 10 total blocks, with four solos.
• Long Beach State swept claimed a three-set win at UC Riverside on Thursday with four-time Big West Freshman of the Week Logan King contributing 11 kills with eight digs and five blocks.
• CSUN claimed victory at Cal State Fullerton, taking down the Titans in three. Libero Paige Sentes recorded 17 digs in the match. Followed up by a 13-dig outing in the loss to UC Irvine, Sentes now has 1,003 career digs.
The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2025 Outrigger Big West Women's Volleyball Championship
All-session tickets are available now to watch some of the premier teams in the West compete for the league's automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball National Championship field. Make plans to join us at Walter Pyramid from Nov. 26-29 in Long Beach, and secure your seats today >>>
POWERful
The Big West notched Power-4 wins over multiple foes this non-conference, including two over California (ACC) with Cal Poly and UC Davis taking down the Bears. UC Santa Barbara downed Kansas State from the Big 12 as the Mustangs swept through No. 20 Utah Big West teams also took two from the SEC with Cal Poly defeating Arkansas on the road and UC Santa Barbara taking care of Vanderbilt.
Non-Conference Kudos
The Big West finished non-conference action with an overall mark of 58-64 (.475) with five teams at or above .500 heading into league action. Of the 23 conferences played, The Big West sports even or winning records against 10 conferences, including the SEC (2-2), WCC (13-10) and Big Sky (11-8).
Mark Your Calendars
The Big West women’s volleyball season continues with the unbalanced schedule of 18 matches to accommodate The Big West Championship. This fall, all 11 matchups in Week 5 between Tuesday-Saturday, Oct. 21-24, will mark the lone meetings of the season between those squads. Each team will play once at home and once on the road during that single-meeting week.
Welcome to The Big West
Three new head coaches to the league will be patrolling The Big West sidelines. Branden Higa comes to UC Riverside from crosstown rival and future Big West opponent California Baptist. A rebuilding Cal State Bakersfield side will feature co-interim head coaches in Felipe Nogueira and Cinthia Angus, both members of the Roadrunners’ 2024 staff. A new, but familiar, face will also be at the helm for Cal State Fullerton as program alumna and former assistant coach Nicky Cannon returns to the Titans.
Preseason Prognostications
The top two teams from a season ago are set atop the 2025 Big West Women’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll with a razor thin margin separating defending Championship victor Hawai’i and 2024 regular-season champion Cal Poly.
UH was picked to win the crown in their final season of full Big West membership, accumulating 94 total points and five first-place picks in a vote by the league’s 11 head coaches. Just two points behind and also garnering five first-place nods is Cal Poly at 92 total points, setting up the potential for another battle between the Mustangs and the Rainbow Wahine for The Big West’s automatic berth into the NCAA Championship field.
The two teams have separated themselves from the next grouping in the standings by nearly 20 points and combine to see three players on the seven-person Big West Preseason Coaches’ Team in Emme Bullis, Chloe Leluge and Bri Gunderson. Read more >>>
|
|