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What 2 Watch 4
The Big West enters penultimate week of non-conference play after a pair of victories over Big 12 foes and a baker’s dozen that went the distance last week. For Sacramento State, the home sweep of Texas Tech was one of three at the Sacramento State Invitational, while Long Beach State’s road win at RV Utah came in five also as part of a perfect tournament outing.
This week’s power conference opponent is No. 21 Indiana, hosting Cal Poly in a four-team event that also includes Eastern Illinois. The Mustangs continue to receive votes in the latest AVCA poll.
Three Big West squads see their home debuts in the 2026 campaign as California Baptist, CSUN and UC Irvine all play in front of the home fans beginning on Friday night. Additionally, the Beach is back at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid after playing the season-opener on the home court before hitting the road for the following four.
At least 14 matches in the penultimate week of the non-conference action are set to air on ESPN+. Check listings for specific match information.
The Big West in the National Rankings
• Two teams land in the top 10 nationally in various statistical categories: CSUN is third in blocks per set (3.45) and sixth in total team block (69.0), Sacramento State is seventh in total service aces with 56 after two weekends.
• Three players find themselves in the top 10 in NCAA Division I in the individual statistical rankings through Week 2: reigning Big West Offensive Player of the Week Victoria Marthaler of Sacramento State (281 total attacks - 8th, 108 total kills - 9th, 124.0 total points - 8th), CSUN’s Iye Okolo (1.90 blocks per set - 4th; 38 total blocks - 6th) and Matador teammate Hailey Brockway (12.81 attacks per set - 6th).
Poll Position
Cal Poly is receiving votes in the latest AVCA-Taraflex Division I Poll after a 2025 run to the Sweet 16, falling to eventual national runners-up and preseason No. 3 Kentucky. The Mustangs have been in both iterations of the poll this regular season as well as the preseason edition. Complete poll >>>
Last Week, Today
Two squads enjoyed three-win tournament weekends, as nine teams claimed at least one victory in the second week of action. Five Big West schools remain at .500 or better in the standings, with UC Santa Barbara leading the way.
Sacramento State (3-3, 0-0 BW)
The Hornets enjoyed a dominant home weekend at the Sacramento State Invitational with wins over Nevada, Texas Tech and Saint Mary’s. Big West Offensive Player of the Week Victoria Marthaler was named co-MVP of the event after averaging 4.62 kills and 1.54 digs per set with five aces, highlighted by an 18-kill outing in a sweep of the Red Raiders on Saturday. Big West Defensive Player of the Week Skyler Gartin was in on 1.38 blocks per set while adding 22 kills on .413 hitting. Gartin’s career-high 13 stuffs agianst the Gaels is the third-best mark for a Hornet in the Division I era and Sac State held their opponents to .181 hitting in total. Setter Makenna Wiepert recorded three 40+ assist marks to earn co-MVP alongside Marthaler th 10.08 assists and 2.08 digs per set along with three aces in each match.
Long Beach State (3-2, 0-0 BW)
The Beach went 3-0 at the Utah Classic, taking down Eastern Illinois, host Utah and Wyoming in the three-game road swing to notch their first wins of the season. Sophomore Sidney Hamaker recorded a career-high 20 kills in the five-set win against the Utes and averaged 3.69 per set in the trio to pace the offense. Big West Setter of the Week Madi Maxwell averaged 7.62 assists per set highlighted by 35 helpers against Eastern Illinois. Defensively, the sophomore averaged 2.85 digs per set with 12 total blocks and Maxwell claimed a triple-double against Utah. With 10 kills, 36 assists and 13 digs, Maxwell’s impressive stat line was a second triple-double of the season and fourth of her career.
UC Santa Barbara (4-1, 0-0 BW)
The Gauchos split their hope opening weekend taking the first set off of RV Iowa State before falling in four on Thursday and rebounding Saturday with the 3-1 win against Utah State. Sophia Wendlick totaled 30 kills, or 3.75 per set, hitting .367 in the victory. Senior Cortni Youngblood popped up 20 digs against USU to anchor the defensive efforts.
Additional Standouts
• Big West Rookie of the Week Nalanie Neal of California Baptist led the Lancer offense for the second straight week, averaging 3.83 kills and 2.25 digs per set at the ASICS Invitational hosted by Oregon State. In the five-set loss to Montana, Neal posted career-bests of 24 kills and 12 digs to go along with three solo blocks and three aces.
• UC Irvine freshman Taylor Boice had three-straight double-figure kill matches and hit a combined .516 at the Bulldog Invitational. In Saturday’s sweep of Southern Utah, Boice recorded the best single-match hitting percentage by an ‘Eater since 2023 with a .714 clip (10-0-14). Fellow UCI teammate Whitney Wallace popped up a career-best 23 digs in a weekend-opening loss to New Mexico State, finishing in double figures in all three matches.
• Cal State Bakersfield junior Suelen Lima averaged 3.75 kills per set to lead the Roadrunners on the week and tied a career high with 22 kills in a four-set loss to Weber State Saturday. CSUB avenged the defeat on Sunday downing the Wildcats in five.
• Cal State Fullerton setter Italia Bernal assisted on 99 total scoring plays at the Gonzaga Invitational and served up 10 total aces for the Titans, including five strikes against ORU, a top 10 single-match mark in program history.
Last Year, Today - By the Numbers
• Four Big West teams closed the season with at least 20 wins, and that number grows to five when including incoming member Sacramento State.
• Four Big West teams finished in the Top 100 in the adjusted RPI rankings, led by Big West automatic qualifier and NCAA Sweet 16 team Cal Poly (42), regular-season champion UC Davis (49), UC Santa Barbara (51) and Long Beach State (77).
• Cal Poly finished the season with an unblemished 15-0 record on their home floor at Mott Athletics Center, and currently sport a 19-match home winning streak. The string is good for the third-longest home streak in the country, only bested by Pittsburgh (51 games) and Kentucky (22 games).
• Cal Poly was the first unseeded team to advance to the third round in the NCAA Championship bracket since the seeding format changed in 2022, and the first Big West team to earn a spot in the regionals since 2019.
• In its final season in The Big West, Hawai’i averaged 5,804 fans per contest with 17 home games, good for third in the country and only trailing Nebraska and Wisconsin for average attendance figures.
Mark Your Calendars
The storied Blue-Green Rivalry game on Oct. 22 has been selected for national tv, as UC Santa Barbara plays host to defending Big West champion and NCAA regional participant Cal Poly at the Thunderdome at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU. In last season’s pair of meetings the games were hotly contested, both needing the full five sets before each team taking a win on their respective home floor. The contest is part of a unique scheduling week that sees a home-and-home for every squad at the midpoint of the league slate. Read more >>>
Welcome to The Big West
New teams and coaches enter the league in 2026 as California Baptist, Sacramento State and Utah Valley bump the membership to 12 institutions this season. Including these three on the sidelines and three incoming head coaches, half of the league’s leaders will be new.
Defending WAC champion and NCAA participant Utah Valley is under the direction of Sam Atoa, entering a 23rd season at the helm and sporting a 380-292 (.565) overall record. Atoa is the program’s only head coach, including prior to Division I membership from 2003-08.
Entering a second season at the helm of his alma mater, Trevor Johnson holds a 7-18 overall record as the coach at California Baptist and 157-100 career head coaching record in nine seasons.
The Hornets head coach for the last 17 seasons has been Ruben Volta, who stands at 299-259 (.536) as the program’s second-ever leader. Volta is a 1993 alumnus of Sacramento State.
Additionally, UC Santa Barbara will be under the direction of Michael Henchy, who comes to the Gauchos after time on the sideline as assistant coach at Penn State where he was part of the staff of the 2024 national champion squad.
UC San Diego will be guided by first-year head coach Spencer McLaughlin, who comes to La Jolla after a successful two-year stint as the associate head coach at Southern California.
Cal State Bakersfield rounds out the fresh faces on the sidelines with Kristen Wright taking the helm in Bakersfield, returning to her hometown after eight seasons at North Florida.
Preseason Prognostications
Cal Poly, defending Big West champion and NCAA regional participant from a year ago, was slated to reign supreme with 11 first-place votes in the 2026 Big West Women’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll and three returners and the Preseason Coaches’ Team.
The Mustangs earned every possible nod and the highest points available after the Cinderella run to the Sweet 16 accumulating 121 points from the league’s 12 head coaches. Looking to expand on their 27-8 overall record and 14-4 mark in Big West action from a season ago, the depth of the seasoned Cal Poly squad was showcased by three on the preseason team, with Kendall Beshear, Emma Fredrick and Chloe Leluge each taking honors.
Second in the polling with 109 total points was Long Beach State (22-9, 14-4 BW in 2025). UC Santa Barbara (23-9, 14-4 BW in 2025) came in third in the voting, pulling in 99 total points. Newcomer to the conference and 2025 WAC champion Utah Valley (16-11, 10-2 WAC in 2025) accumulated 84 total points and the final first-place vote to rank fourth in the poll.
Additional preseason team honors went to Molly McCluskey (UC San Diego), Victoria Marthaler (Sacramento State), Gabi Martinez (UC Santa Barbara) and Madi Maxwell (Long Beach State). Read more >>>
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