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What 2 Watch 4
All 11 Big West squads complete their final non-conference weekend of the season. Two ranked teams are on the docket: No. 4 Stanford and No. 20 Utah. Defending champion Hawai’i heads to Palo Alto to tussle with the Cardinal, UCLA and Texas State in a high-octane first road trip of the year. Meanwhile, defending regular-season champion Cal Poly welcomes the Utes along with Saint Mary’s and California Baptist riding a three-sweep streak.
All told, 16 of the week’s matches across the country are set to air on the ESPN family of networks. Check listings for specific match information.
Last Week, Today
• UC Santa Barbara picked up two Power-4 home wins against Kansas State (Big 12) and Vanderbilt (SEC) and Cal Poly snagged a Power-4 sweep of California in a weekend with a trio of three-set matches from Mott Athletic Center in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The Mustangs also defeated Arkansas (SEC) on the road to bring the number of victories over top foes to four.
• Player of the Week honors went to pairs from Cal Poly and Hawai’i. Mustangs Emma Fredrick (offensive) and Emme Bullis (setter) were joined by Victoria Leyva (defensive) and Cha’lei Reid (freshman) after the two teams went a combined 5-0 on the weekend. Read more >>>
Poll Position
UC Santa Barbara is receiving votes in the latest AVCA/Taraflex Division I Coaches’ Poll, marking consecutive weeks of distinction. The Gauchos are looking to crack the Top 25 as they close the non-league slate in Dayton, Ohio with matches against Illinois State, Wright State and the host Flyers.
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.
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.
Week 3 Highlights
Cal Poly (6-3, 0-0 BW)
The Mustangs swept through three foes in the home debut weekend, downing Northern Colorado, California and San Jose State. Junior outside hitter and Big West Offensive Player of the Week Emma Fredrick averaged 4.22 kills and 3.00 digs per set that included a double-double against the Spartans. Middle blocker Chloe Leluge guarded the net for 1.22 blocks per set while hitting an effective .477 including 10 kills on 17 swings with one error to go along with four blocks against Cal. Big West Setter of the Week Emme Bullis picked up a ninth career nod with 12.11 assists per set and a pair of double-double outings. The Mustangs are leading the league and rank 19th nationally in hitting percentage at 0.293.
Hawai’i (4-4, 0-0 BW)
The Rainbow Wahine earned a pair of wins against Portland with Big West Freshman of the Week Cha’lei Reid putting away 18 kills in both matches. Big West Defensive Player of the Week Victoria Leyva anchored the floor defense with 4.44 digs per set including a career-high 23 digs in the four-setter on Friday.
UC Santa Barbara (6-2, 0-0 BW)
The Gauchos claimed Power-4 wins against Kansas State (Big 12) and Vanderbilt (SEC) with the arm of Eva Travis coming up big. The reigning Big West Freshman of the Year powered down 18 kills on .406 hitting in the sweep of the Wildcats to highlight the weekend. Redshirt junior Kiersten Schmitt was big at the net with a career-high five solo blocks against the Commodores with a career-best four aces against K-State.
Long Beach State (4-4, 0-0 BW)
Rhiann Sheffie helped the Beach to a split on the weekend, dropping the match to Oregon before bounding back to dispatch San Diego State in four. The senior hit .500 with eight kills and five blocks against the Aztecs. Senior Nieko Thomas added nine blocks in the match as LBSU outblocked SDSU 14-5 to key the win.
UC Irvine (4-5, 0-0 BW)
UC Irvine went 1-2 in the Asics Invitaitonal with an impressive performance in the 3-1 win over Montana State. Making a collegiate debut at the event, redshirt freshman Jessica Bates tallied the first triple-double in The Big West since Nov. 11, 2023. Bates finished with 13 kills, 11 assists and 10 digs in Saturday’s victory.
UC Davis (3-4, 0-0 BW)
The Aggies split a trip to Stanford, falling to the No. 5 Cardinal in three after sweeping through Utah State in the week’s first match. Jade Light averaged 3.67 kills and 2.83 digs with Mia Starr racking up 37 assists (12.33 per set) to go along with 10 digs in the win against USU.
Cal State Bakersfield (3-6, 0-0 BW)
The Roadrunners went 2-1 on the week with wins against Eastern Washington and Nevada in Reno. Sophomore Nicole Zake powered the offense with 3.60 kills per set and four aces picking up a double-double against EWU. Junior Nele Broszat combined for 15 total blocks with 11 in the four-set win against the Eagles.
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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