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.  
 

UH (21-10, 13-5 BW in 2024) will be seeking to extend their string of five seasons with either a regular-season or championship crown, winning last year’s postseason extravaganza to advance to their 31st straight NCAA Championship. The ’Bows will see eight newcomers on the 16-player roster, including preseason team pick Bri Gunderson. The senior middle blocker joins the squad after spending the last two seasons at Eastern Washington. Gunderson recorded a school record 1.54 blocks per set to lead the Big Sky and rate fifth in the nation in 2024 as the Ladera Ranch, Calif., native will look to bolster an always stout UH defense.  
 

Cal Poly (22-9, 14-4 BW in 2024) returns 12 players from their trophy hoisting season, including four starters and two selections for the Big West Preseason Coaches’ Team. Redshirt senior setter Emme Bullis guided the offense with 10.27 assist per set in 2024, good for second in the league. The Mustangs topped The Big West in hitting percentage last season with preseason team member Chloe Leluge connecting on a .356 clip while averaging 2.07 kills and 0.97 blocks per set during a first collegiate season on the court. Bullis earned second team honors while Leluge was named to the All-Freshman Team along with earning honorable mention distinction. 
 

UC Davis (75 points), UC Santa Barbara (73) and Long Beach State (68) are the next grouping in the preseason poll.  
 

The Aggies (19-10, 13-5 BW in 2024) see two upperclassmen returners voted to the preseason team in senior outside hitter Jade Light and junior middle blocker Ally Chandler. Last season, Light ranked seventh in The Big West in kills per set at 3.39 and was third in the league in total points (490.0), kills (403) and service aces (40). Chandler was an effective offensive weapon for the Aggies in 2024, leading The Big West with a .373 hitting percentage on the season while also adding 81 total blocks for the defense. Both student-athletes were All-Big West second team performers a year ago as the Aggies closed the regular season in a tie for second in the standings.  
 

After finishing in a tie for sixth and narrowly missing The Big West postseason in 2024, UC Santa Barbara is predicted to again compete in late November. The Gauchos received the remaining first-place vote in the poll to land in fourth in the voting. UCSB is expected to be led on offensive by returning Big West Freshman of the Year and preseason selection Eva Travis swinging from the outside. The product of Aliso Viejo, Calif., recorded 25 double-digit kill efforts and eight double-doubles a year ago, averaging 3.35 kills per set to pick up an All-Big West first team nod.  
 

Should the preseason predictions ring true, UC Irvine would again claim the sixth and final spot in the bracket for The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2025 Big West Women’s Volleyball Championship. The Anteaters slide in with 53 total points as senior libero Campbell Jensen rounds off the preseason team picks. An All-Big West second team performer in 2024, Jensen averaged 3.79 digs and 1.28 assists per set with 33 service aces to anchor the UCI backcourt.  
 

Just three points back and in seventh in the polling is UC San Diego, who made The Big West postseason in their first year of eligibility and under the direction of first-year head coach Melanie Greene in 2024. The Tritons come in with a total tally of 50 points, followed by CSUN (42), Cal State Bakersfield (23), Cal State Fullerton (21) and UC Riverside (14) to round out the listings. 
 

Fans can get ready for the season in the 2025 Big West Women’s Volleyball Preview presented by The Hawaiian Islands next Thursday, Aug. 28 at 1 p.m. PT/10 a.m. HT on ESPN+. Tune in to hear from every head coach in the conference and hear in-depth analysis and insights from the tandem of Chloe Clark and Rob Espero. 
 

First serve across The Big West is set for Friday, Aug. 29, with all 11 teams in high-flying action across the country including four on their home court. Conference play around The Big West commences on Tuesday, Sept. 23, and Long Beach State and Hawai’i face off in a nationally-televised contest on Friday, Oct. 17, airing on ESPNU. 
 

All told, over 125 women’s volleyball broadcasts across The Big West landscape will also be available to fans through ESPN+ throughout the year. Click here for upcoming listings to watch all 11 Big West member-institutions in action.