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TUNE IN! Thursday, Aug. 28 on ESPN+
Fans can get ready for the season in the 2025 Big West Women’s Volleyball Preview presented by The Hawaiian Islands this 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.
What 2 Watch 4
All 11 teams serve up the season on Friday, Aug. 29 on courts across the country. Two ranked foes dot the opening day slate with Cal Poly traveling to No. 11 Minnesota and Long Beach State hosting No. 6 Stanford. LBSU also welcomes No. 18 UCLA to Walter Pyramid on Monday in a stout test for the squad. The Beach, along with CSUN, UC San Diego and Hawai’i, play host in the first week of the season with games airing on ESPN+. The Rainbow Wahine’s toughest test of the weekend likely comes on Saturday from SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center against San Diego. Both the Toreros and UH are receiving votes in the AVCA Preseason Poll.
All told, 18 of the week’s matches across the country are set to air on ESPN+. Check listings for specific match information.
Last Year, Today
• The Big West finished the non-conference slate at 65-66 (.496) in 2024.
• The league saw four squads finish in the RPI top 100, led by automatic qualifier Hawai’i in 37th. Regular-season champion Cal Poly closed in 73rd with UC Davis and Long Beach State in 81st and 82nd, respectively.
• Hawai’i made its 31st consecutive and 41st overall appearance in the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship after earning The Big West crown as the No. 2 seed.
Poll Position
Thus far in 2025, Hawai’i has been the lone Big West side to see their names in the AVCA/Taraflex Division I Coaches’ Poll, receiving votes in the preseason iteration on Aug. 6, with the next poll set to be released on Sept. 1.
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. The match will see a 6 o’clock first serve from Walter Pyramid on Friday, Oct. 15, with the game airing on ESPNU. Read more >>>
Welcome to The Big West
Three new head coaches to the league will be patrolling The Big West sidelines. Brandon 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.
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.
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