Women's Volleyball

Four Underclassmen and Three First-Time Winners Highlight Big West Women's Volleyball Weekly Honorees

All-Time Weekly Winners >>>

Offensive Player of the Week 
Maria Fernanda Afonso, UC San Diego | Freshman • Outside Hitter • Curitiba, Brazil

  • 8138UC San Diego’s Maria Fernanda Afonso helped the Tritons to a 1-1 record in the opening weekend of Big West play to notch Offensive Player of the Week honors. The award is a first career weekly nod for the freshman. 

  • Afonso averaged 4.50 points, 4.29 kills and 1.86 digs as the Tritons’ outside hitter collected a team-best 30 kills, hitting .310 over seven sets and adding three block assists for a total of 31.5 points.  

  • The native of Curitiba, Brazil, was incredibly efficient with 14 kills on 25 swings and just four errors to hit .400 in Friday night’s sweep of Cal State Fullerton. 

  • On Saturday, Afonso tallied 16 kills and added eight digs and three blocks in the four-set loss at UC Irvine. 


Also Nominated: Kendall Beshear (Cal Poly); Andrea Brewer (UC Riverside); Logan King (Long Beach State); Jade Light (UC Davis); Gabi Martinez (UC Santa Barbara); Lira Pukl Verdel (Cal State Fullerton); Miliana Sylvester (Hawai’i)

Defensive Player of the Week 
Ximena Cordero Barr, UC Davis | Sophomore • Libero • Tijuana, Mexico

  • 8137UC Davis libero Ximena Cordero Barr anchored the back row in a 2-0 weekend to earn a first career nod at Big West Defensive Player of the Week.  

  • Cordero Barr averaged 4.86 digs per set with five assists and an ace as the Aggies swept through UC Riverside and defeated Hawai’i in four for just their second road win against the Rainbow Wahine in program history.  

  • On Tuesday ats UC Riverside, the sophomore libero posted a season-best 18 digs with three assists in the tidy match. 

  • Against Hawai'i on Saturday night, the native of Tijuana, Mexico, popped up 16 digs with a pair of assists and an ace.  

  • Cordero Barr is currently averaging 3.78 digs per set, good for fifth in The Big West. The UC Davis defense holds opponents to 0.168 hitting, which rates first in the league and 36th in NCAA Division I. 


Also Nominated: Ally Chandler (UC Davis); Jessica Dean (UC Riverside); Elif Hurriyet (Cal Poly); Campbell Jensen (UC Irvine); Logan King (Long Beach State); Miliana Sylvester (Hawai’i); Kayla Uhlick (UC San Diego); Cortni Youngblood (UC Santa Barbara)

Setter of the Week 
Madi Maxwell, Long Beach State | Sophomore • Setter • Newhall, Calif.

  • 8042Long Beach State’s Madi Maxwell went back-to-back as Big West Setter of teh Week after directed the Beach offense to a pair of victories on opening weekend of Big West play. 

  • The sophomore from Newhall, Calif., registered 37 assists, two blocks, and two service aces in the road sweep of UC Irvine on Thursday night.  

  • In Saturday’s sweep of Cal State Fullerton, Maxwell assisted on 30 plays while adding nine digs, three blocks and a pair of kills. 

  • On the weekend, Maxwell dished out 67 assists, or 11.17 per set. Maxwell’s 9.79 per set average on the season is good for second in The Big West and 38th nationally. 


Also Nominated: Jessica Bates (UC Irvine); Emme Bullis (Cal Poly); Ayva Ostovar (UC Santa Barbara); Mika Rome (UC San Diego); Mia Starr (UC Davis)

Freshman of the Week 
Gabi Martinez, UC Santa Barbara | Freshman • Outside Hitter • Katy, Texas

  • 8134UC Santa Barbara freshman Gabi Martinez stepped into the spotlight for the Gauchos’ offense to help the team to a pair of home wins en route to Big West Freshman of the Week acclaim. 

  • Martinez opened the week on Friday with 11 kills on .556 hitting in a sweep of Cal State Bakersfield. 

  • Replacing UCSB’s primary outside hitter who was out sick versus CSUN, Martinez powered down 19 kills against the Matadors, clearing the previous career-high by eight.  

  • Martinez averaged 4.29 kills per set on .344 hitting for the weekend for the Gauchos’ offense that leads the league and is 40th nationally with 13.72 kills per set. 


Also Nominated: Maria Fernanda Afonso (UC San Diego); Jordyn Johnson (UC Santa Barbara); Charlotte Kelly (Cal Poly); Logan King (Long Beach Stte) Cha’lei Reid (Hawai’i); Saniyah Sobers (CSUN)