Headlined by Long Beach State All-American pair and Big West Pairs Team of the Year Taylor Hagenah and Malia Gementera, the All-Big West Team and awards winners have been announced, as voted on by the league’s seven head coaches.
New in 2025, the All-Big West Teams are composed of individual players rather than pairs, with 20 student-athletes on the first and second teams and a six-member All-Freshman team. All seven programs have at least one honoree dotting the listings. Big West Champion Long Beach State swept the individual awards.
The junior duo of Hagenah and Gementera are earning their third All-Big West First Team honors along with Pairs Team of the Year. The Beach duo are the first from LBSU to earn the league’s top pairs honors since sport sponsorship began in 2016. The duo is 33-4 on the sand from the No. 1 position, and winners of their last six matches and eight of their last 10. Thirty of their wins in 2025 have come in straight sets and the point on Court 1 was the match clincher for LBSU on eight occasions.
Cal Poly first team All-America pairing of Piper Ferch and
Erin Inskeep see their names on the All-Big West first team in consecutive seasons. For Ferch, a senior from Redmond, Wash., this is an impressive fourth first-team nod. The No. 1 tandem for the Mustangs are 27-6 from the top flight in the lineup, winning their last six matches and eight of their last 10 heading into the national postseason.
After compiling a 29-7 overall record for Cal Poly, No. 2 pair Logan Walter and
Izzy Martinez also earned first-team distinction as well as second-team All-America. Martinez, a junior from Winnetka, Calif., is making a third All-Big West first team with Walter up from the second team a season ago. The two currently hold Cal Poly’s longest streak with eight consecutive dual points won.
After earning second-team honors in 2024, the Cal State Bakersfield pairing of
Ella Erteltova and
Vivi Kaelin both made the first team for the Roadrunners. The twosome has played from the top three positions all season long compiling a record of 18-6, including a 10-3 mark from Court 2. Erteltova, a senior from Zilina, Slovakia, has been paired with Kaelin, a sophomore from Lake Oswego, Ore., the past two years as the couplet is up from the 2024 All-Big West second team.
Julia Westby, a junior from Oceanside, Calif., is making a second appearance on the first team and third overall Big West honor. Westby primarily plays at the No. 2 spot in the lineup for LBSU, recording a 22-15 overall record playing alongside three partners.
Hawai’i junior Alana Embry makes a second straight showing as a first teamer, playing from Courts 1, 2 and 3 this year. The product of Poway, Calif., finished the season with an overall record of 15-20 for the Rainbow Wahine.
The second team listings see five programs in the listings. For the Beach, four players made the second team including seniors
Megan Widener,
Natalie Glenn and
Skyler Germann as well as freshman
Demi Wagdy. Two from Hawai’i in juniors
Sarah Burton and
Caprice Lorenzo are joined by Sacaramento State senior playing partners
Caitlin Volkmann and
Bridgette Smith. Senior
Kylie Miller represents UC Davis as an award winner and Cal Poly’s
Ella Connor also earned second-team honors.
The All-Freshman team, new in 2025, sees two players apiece for Cal Poly and CSUN, with the tandem of Dylan Hall and Hannah Heflin for the Matadors. The Mustangs see first-year players
Maddy Byrne and
Elise Lenahan, and Hawai’i freshman
Jasmine Wandeler nabbed a spot on the team. The All-Freshman team is rounded out by Freshman of the Year Wagdy of Long Beach State.
Wagdy, a first-year player from Eastvale, Calif., enters the national postseason sporting a 28-8 record. Playing primarily at the No. 5 position with senior partner Widener, the unit is 9-1 in their last 10 matches. The twosome played at the 3s at The Big West Championship, going 3-0 with one unfinished match. Wagdy also saw time on the sand with two other playing partners, Meagan O’Leary and All-Big West first team selection Westby. Along with top freshman honors, Wadgy was named to the All-Big West second team, along with primary partner Widener.
Mike Campbell picked up Big West Coach of the Year for the third time, also netting honors in 2017 and ’23. In the midst of a 10
th season at LBSU, Campbell has guided the Beach to a 212-110 (.658) overall record in that span. The team has enjoyed seven 20-win seasons with Campbell at the helm, including four straight. The Beach is making a third consecutive appearance in the National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship.
Cal Poly and Long Beach State continue the season at the 2025 National Collegiate Women’s Volleyball Championship, with first serve on Friday morning from Gulf Shores, Ala.
| 2025 Big West Beach Volleyball All-Conference Team |
|
Pairs Team of the Year: Malia Gementera & Taylor Hagenah, Long Beach State
Freshman of the Year: Demi Wagdy, Long Beach State
Coach of the Year: Mike Campbell, Long Beach State
|
| All-Big West First Team
|
| Student-Athlete |
Year |
Institution |
Hometown |
| Alana Embry |
Jr. |
Hawai’i |
Poway, Calif. |
| Ella Erteltova |
Sr. |
Cal State Bakersfield |
Zilina, Slovakia |
| Piper Ferch |
Sr. |
Cal Poly |
Redmond, Wash. |
| Malia Gementera |
Jr. |
Long Beach State |
Chula Vista, Calif. |
| Taylor Hagenah |
Jr. |
Long Beach State |
Oceanside, Calif. |
| Erin Inskeep |
So. |
Cal Poly |
Hermosa Beach, Calif. |
| Vivi Kaelin |
So. |
Cal State Bakersfield |
Lake Oswego, Ore. |
| Izzy Martinez |
Jr. |
Cal Poly |
Winnetka, Calif. |
| Logan Walter |
So. |
Cal Poly |
San Mateo, Calif. |
| Julia Westby |
Jr. |
Long Beach State |
Oceanside, Calif. |
| All-Big West Second Team
|
| Student-Athlete |
Year |
Institution |
Hometown |
| Sarah Burton |
Jr. |
Hawai’i |
Perth, Australia |
| Ella Connor |
R-Jr. |
Cal Poly |
Kihei, Maui |
| Skyler Germann |
Sr. |
Long Beach State |
Minnetonka, Minn. |
| Natalie Glenn |
Sr. |
Long Beach State |
Southlake, Texas |
| Caprice Lorenzo |
Jr. |
Hawai’i |
Mesa, Calif. |
| Kylie Miller |
Sr. |
UC Davis |
San Diego, Calif. |
| Bridgette Smith |
Sr. |
Sacramento State |
Salem, Ore. |
| Caitlin Volkmann |
Sr. |
Sacramento State |
Longmont, Calif. |
| Demi Wagdy |
Fr. |
Long Beach State |
Eastvale, Calif. |
| Megan Widener |
Sr. |
Long Beach State |
Carlsbad, Calif. |
| Honorable Mention: Ella Ensign (Cal State Bakersfield); Dylan Hall (CSUN); Hannah Heflin (CSUN); Julia Lawrenz (Hawai’i); Elise Lenahan (Cal Poly); Tia Mendiola (CSUN); Madi Nichols (Cal Poly); Quinn Perry (Cal Poly); Lindsey Sparks (Cal Poly) |
| Big West All-Freshman Team
|
| Student-Athlete |
Institution |
Hometown |
| Maddy Byrne |
Cal Poly |
Newbury Park, Calif. |
| Dylan Hall |
CSUN |
Honolulu, O’ahu |
| Hannah Heflin |
CSUN |
Glendora, Calif. |
| Elise Lenahan |
Cal Poly |
Seal Beach, Calif. |
| Demi Wagdy |
Long Beach State |
Eastvale, Calif. |
| Jasmine Wandeler |
Hawai’i |
Stans, Switzerland |