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What 2 Watch 4
The top four teams in the standings have gained some separation as the race for the postseason heats up.
League-leading UC Davis (15-5, 11-1 BW) is on the road at UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton. Knotted in second and one game back are Cal Poly (19-5, 10-2 BW) and Long Beach State (17-6, 10-2 BW). The Mustangs are back home looking to extend their 12-match unblemished streak in San Luis Obispo in 2025, hosting the Beach and UC San Diego. After Friday’s meeting with Cal Poly, LBSU heads down the coast to take on UC Santa Barbara (17-7, 9-3 BW). The Gauchos currently sit in fourth in the standings, three games clear of their closest competitors.
Depending on results in their own matches and across the league landscape, these four squads are in position to guarantee their spot in the postseason this week.
All 11 matchups on this week’s docket are set to air on ESPN+. Check listings for specific match information.
Last Week, Today
• Player of the Week honors went to UC Davis duo Jade Light (offensive) and Mia Starr (setter), with back-to-back wins for UC Irvine’s Campbell Jensen (defensive), joined by UC Santa Barbara’s Gabi Martinez (freshman) to round out the honorees. Read more >>>
The Big West in the Rankings
• Cal Poly, 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 0.147 this season, which ranks fifth in Division 1.
• Two student-athletes dot the individual listings, both in the Top 25 in hitting percentage. UC Santa Barbara’s Layanna Green jumped up to eighth with a .433 percentage and Ally Chandler of UC Davis stands in 12th with a .422 hitting percentage for the current league leaders. Also in the rankings heading into the week is fellow Aggie Mia Starr, 22nd nationally in assists per set with 10.22.
• Four teams find themselves in the top 100 in the latest RPI rankings, paced by UC Davis at No. 54.
Weekly Roundup
UC Davis (15-5, 11-1 BW)
League-leading UC Davis took two wins on the week over UC Riverside and Hawai’i, highlighted by the first regular-season two-match sweep of the Rainbow Wahine. Offensive Player of the Week Jade Light averaged a combined 4.57 kills per set and registered 19 kills and 13 digs in the four-setter against UH. Setter of the Week Mia Starr anchored the offense finishing with 46 assists and 12 digs as the Aggies claimed their first win over UH in 12 years. Defensively, Ximena Cordero Barr scooped up 21 digs against the ’Bows and served up four aces in Tuesday’s sweep of the Highlanders.
Cal Poly (19-5, 10-2 BW)
The Mustangs notched a pair of wins to extend their streak to eight, with road wins at Cal State Bakersfield and CSUN. Setter Emme Bullis averaged 11.14 assists and 4.13 digs per set, both team bests, with Emma Fredrick highlighting the offense with 17 kills on .500 hitting in the sweep of the Roadrunners. Freshman Charlotte Kelly was key in the five-set victory at CSUN, finishing with 15 kills on .448 hitting with six total blocks in the match. This week, the Mustangs are back at home sporting an unblemished record from Mott this season, leading the nation at 12-0. Cal Poly hasn’t lost a home match in over a calendar year.
Long Beach State (17-6, 10-2 BW)
Long Beach State swept through Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine with setter Madi Maxwell claiming a second triple double in as many weeks. The setter finished with 10 kills, 27 assists and 11 digs against UCI in the Black-Blue Rivalry match. Rhiann Sheffie hitting a combined .414 for the Beach offense and the senior middle blocker was nearly unstoppable against the Anteaters, hitting .643 with nine kills on 14 swings and no errors while recording three total blocks. Defensively, Logan King popped up 11 digs in both matches.
UC Santa Barbara (17-7, 9-3 BW)
The Gauchos had two tidy three-set victories on the road at CSUN and Cal State Bakersfield with Layanna Green continuing the impressive hitting tear. The senior middle blocker hit an efficient .484 on the week and stands in eighth nationally in season hitting percentage at .433. Along with adding 2.67 kills per set, Green added 1.17 blocks and 1.0 digs per set on the week. The offense was also bolstered by Big West Freshman of the Week Gabi Martinez, who swung for 18 kills and eight digs against the Matadors in her lone match of the week. Sophomore Bianca Nistor stepped in to become UCSB’s sole libero/defensive specialist, averaging 4.83 digs per set with two double-figure dig efforts including a career high 17 against CSUB.
Split ‘Em Up
• Three teams saw a 1-1 record on the weekend: Hawai’i, UC Irvine and UC San Diego.
• Hawai’i took care of UC Riverside in four to close the road weekend. Bri Gunderson delivered 13 kills, four digs and five blocks with Adrianna Arquette contributing 46 assists and 11 digs with two double-doubles on the week.
• Nicole Feliciano averaged an eye-popping 14.67 assists per set, or 44 total, in UC Irvine’s sweep of UC San Diego. Kendra Duffey led the way with 17 kills in the contest.
• UC San Diego’s victory came in 3-1 fashion at Cal State Fullerton with Jasmine Saran powering down a team-best 16 kills on .387 hitting with three blocks. Junior outside hitter Ireland McNees added 10 kills and a career-high 22 digs for the Tritons.
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).
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 >>>
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