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What 2 Watch 4
All 11 Big West squads open conference play, with first serve in the league slate set for Tuesday as UC Riverside hosts UC Davis. The Highlanders have already tied their win tally from a year ago with five, while the Aggies are one of five squads who finished non-conference action at .500 or better. This mark’s UCR’s first home game of the year.
Friday’s five-game slate sees the top two teams in the standings - Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara - playing host, along with UC San Diego, UC Irvine and Hawai’i. The Anteaters welcome Long Beach State to the Bren for the latest edition of the Black-Blue Rivalry.
On Saturday, Long Beach State also takes a turn as host when Cal State Fullerton heads to Walter Pyramid, with the Mustangs, Gauchos, Anteaters and Rainbow Wahine seeing a second home match on the docket.
All told, 10 of the matches during Big West opening week are set to air on ESPN+. Check listings for specific match information.
Last Week, Today
• Cal Poly’s home sweep of No. 20 Utah highlighted the week’s results, as the Mustangs notched the first win over a ranked non-conference opponent since 2019 when they downed then-No. 16 Utah. UC Davis went into California and won a five-setter against the Bears in their lone match of the week against the Power-4 program.
• Player of the Week honors went to Long Beach State duo Elise Agi (offensive) and Madi Maxwell (setter) with CSUN libero Paige Sentes (defensive) and triple-double getter Jessica Bates of UC Irvine (freshman) nabbing acclaim. Read more >>>
Poll Position
UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly are both receiving votes in the latest AVCA/Taraflex Division I Coaches’ Poll, marking the first time in 2025 with multiple teams earning distinction.
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).
Week 4 Highlights
Cal Poly (9-3, 0-0 BW)
The Mustangs claimed another trio of home wins, highlighted by the sweep of No. 20 Utah on Friday. Emma Fredrick was unstoppable on the court now sporting a seven-match string of double-digit kill efforts averaging 3.36 per set with redshirt senior Emme Bullis averaging 7.91 assists per set. Elif Hurriyet made a first home start of the season with 3.78 digs per set with freshman Charlotte Kelly stuffing 13 total blocks (1.18 per set) at the net. The Mustangs’ defense held Utah and California Baptist to sub 0.050 hitting in a pair of sweeps. The Mustangs are leading the league and rank 19th nationally in hitting percentage at 0.290.
UC Santa Barbara (8-4, 0-0 BW)
The Gauchos, receiving votes in the AVCA poll for the third straight week, split four matches including three in Dayton. Layanna Green made the Dayton Flyer Invitational All-Tournament Team and hit a combined .448 with 14 total blocks. Green is connecting at a .434 clip, good for 19th nationally. Cortni Youngblood scooped up a career-high 29 digs in Tuesday’s five-set loss to Pepperdine.
CSUN (7-4, 0-0 BW)
The Matadors claimed two victories at the USF Challenge with Julia Bazylevych leading the way with 4.63 kills and 2.25 digs per set and four aces. Big West Setter of the Week Paige Sentes tallied 6.13 digs per set in four-set victories over the host Dons and San Jose State.
Long Beach State (7-4, 0-0 BW)
The Beach enjoyed a three-win weekend at the UniWyo Invite with Big West Offensive Player of the Week Elise Agi averaging 3.88 kills per set with a pair of double-doubles and Big West Setter of the Week Madi Maxwell directing the offense while averaging 11.46 assists. Agi (18k, 16d), Maxwell (56a, 10d) and Logan King (16k, 10d) all posted double-doubles in the comeback win against the Cowgirls.
UC Riverside (4-6, 0-0 BW)
The Highlanders claimed a pair of wins after besting both host UNLV and Southern Utah in four. Sophia Ewalefo earned Dig in the Desert MVP averaging 3.88 kills per set and notching two double-doubles in a homecoming weekend for the Las Vegas native. Libero Jessica Dean also earned All-Tournament honors averaging 4.42 digs per set with 20+ scoops in each match.
Additional Standouts
• Hawai’i sophomore Miliana Sylvester set a new career high with 10 blocks in the five-set finale against Texas State at the Stanford Tournament, finishing with 17 total on the weekend
• UC San Diego’s Kayla Uhlick (2.14 digs/set & 3 aces) and Mika Rome (10.64 assists/set) both earned SDSU/USD All-Tournament Team honors as the Tritons took a five-setter against the Toreros to highlight the week.
• UC Irvine’s Jessica Bates posted a second triple double in as many weeks to earn Big West Freshman of the Week. The setter hit .412 with a career-high 19 kills with 12 digs and 14 assists in a 3-1 win against Belmont.
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.
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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