Advertisement

Big West Conference women's volleyball capsules

jason kaneshiro, the honolulu star-advertiser
·7 min read

Sep. 23—Following is a look at the Big West, in order of the preseason coaches poll :

Hawaii (3 — 5 )

Coach : Robyn Ah Mow (67-26, fourth season )

Outlook : The Rainbow Wahine have won or shared the conference title in five of the eight seasons since rejoining the Big West in 2012, going 117-13 (.900 ) in that span. A sub-.500 nonconference showing is a rarity for the program and indicative of the inconsistency of a relatively young group. Junior Mylana Byrd has handled the bulk of the setting duties and continues to hone her timing with the UH hitters while averaging 9.39 assists per set, good for third in the conference. The Wahine rank seventh in the conference in hitting percentage at.182. Sophomore Amber Igiede (2.45 kills per set, .345, 1.14 blocks per set ) has been a consistent threat in the middle. Freshman Anna Kiraly saw more playing time in place of senior Skyler Williams in UH's series split with Southern Cal.

Cal Poly (2-9 )

Coach : Caroline Walters (23-18, second season )

UH dates : Oct. 15 (H ), Nov. 20 (A )

Series record : UH 41-8 Outlook : Jamie Stivers had to wait longer than most to return to the court after having her 2019 season cut short after 10 starts due to a knee injury. With All-Big West outside hitter Maia Dvoracek out for the season, Stivers, a 6-3 senior, leads the team with 3.20 kills per set in her return. Middle blocker Meredith Phillips, an All-Big West pick in 2019, is hitting a team-high.321 with 2.50 kills per set. Setter Avalon DeNecochea (9.43 assists per set ) also earned all-conference honors in'19.

UC Santa Barbara (4-8 )

Coach : Nicole Lantagne Welch (107-103, eighth season )

UH dates : Oct. 22 (A ), Nov. 27 (H )

Series record : UH 43-9 Outlook : Of the Gauchos's eight losses, five went to five sets, including a battle with No. 21 Pepperdine. All-Big West right-side hitter Tallulah Froley leads UCSB with 3.03 kills per set while freshman Michelle Ohwobete has made an instant impact with eight double-digit kill performances. Deni Wilson is hitting.416 in the middle (2.26 kps ). Rowan Ennis, a 6-1 senior, leads the most imposing block in the league with 59 total blocks. The Gauchos average 2.53 blocks per set.

Long Beach State (6-5 )

Coach : Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer (44-54, fourth season )

UH dates : Oct. 1 (H ), Nov. 6 (A )

Series record : UH 37-18-1 Outlook : Outside hitter Kashauna Williams ended 2019 on the All-Big West first team and opened 2021 by claiming three of the conference's first four Player of the Week awards. The 6-foot junior leads the Big West and ranks 12th nationally with 4.77 kills per set while hitting.283 and has five matches with at least 20 kills. Freshman outside hitter Erykah Lovett has fired a league-high 22 aces while complementing Williams with 2.98 kills per set.

UC Davis (5-7, 1-0 )

Coach : Dan Conners (98-90, eighth year )

UH dates : Saturday (A ), Oct. 29 (H )

Series record : UH 15-1 Outlook : The Aggies opened the Big West season by hitting a collective.398 (39 kills, six errors ) in a 25-21, 25-16, 25-15 sweep at UC Riverside on Tuesday. Freshman Amara Aimufua put away 19 kills in 28 attempts to hit.643 and raise her season average to 3.00 kills per set. Junior Josephine Ough, a 6-foot-6 middle blocker, entered the week fourth in the country in hitting percentage and had six kills in 12 errorless swings on Tuesday to improve to.479 with 72 kills against just five errors this season.

UC Irvine (7-3 )

Coach : Ashlie Hain (78-82, sixth year )

UH dates : Oct. 9 (A ), Nov. 12 (H )

Series record : UH 41-1 Outlook : The Anteaters' feature the most efficient attack in the Big West so far with setters Kelly Negron and Caitlin Kikta running an offense hitting.272. The Anteaters' opponents are hitting a league-low.174. Middle blocker Onye Ofoegbu, a 6-3 sophomore, has put away a team-high 128 kills (3.66 per set ) on.461 hitting followed by 5-8 sophomore outside hitter Joy Umeh at 124 (3.54 kps ). The duo accounts for 53 % of the team's kill total and Ofoegbu also leads the Big West with 1.46 blocks per set.

Cal State Northridge (1-9 )

Coach : Susie Terrusa (interim )

UH dates : Oct. 23 (A ), Nov. 26 (H )

Series record : UH 26-2 Outlook : After 21 years on staff, Terrusa was promoted to the top job when Jeff Stork retired just over a year ago. The Matadors have struggled to finish points with a league-low.116 hitting percentage. Sophomore Taylor Orshoff (team-high 2.36 kps ) heated up last week to hit.395 (23 kills, six errors ) in four-set losses to Sacramento State and Nevada. CSUN has two freshmen setters running the attack in setters Madison Klungel (146 assists, 4.06 per set ) and Carisa Barron (144, 4.00 ).

UC San Diego (3-8 )

Coach : Ricci Luyties (182-108, 12th year )

UH dates : Oct. 6 (A ), Nov. 14 (H )

Series record : UH 1-0 Outlook : The Tritons' Division I debut was delayed by a year and they waited seven more matches before posting their first win in the NCAA's top tier to spark a three-match winning streak. Libero Naya Dong, an 'Iolani graduate, leads the conference with 173 total digs and 4.33 per set. Setter Isabela Dobra ranks second in the conference in assists with 9.86 per set in conducting an attack led by sophomore middle blocker Ava McInnes (2.71 kps ).

CSU Bakersfield (7-1 )

Coach : Giovana Melo (92-95, eighth year )

UH dates : Oct. 16 (H ), Nov. 19 (A )

Series record : UH 2-0 Outlook : Picked ninth in the preseason poll, the Roadrunners enter the conference season with the Big West's top nonconference record. A roster with no seniors will make the program's Big West debut Friday at Cal State Fullerton with an attack led by junior outside hitter Hayley McCluskey (3.44 kills per set ). After playing in a two-setter system in 2018 and'19, Seleisa Elisaia has taken command of the offense and averages 9.22 assists per set, good for fifth in the conference.

Cal State Fullerton (3-4 )

Coach : Nicole Polster (interim )

UH dates : Oct. 3 (H ), Nov. 5 (A )

Series record : UH 42-0 Outlook : Polster, the daughter of former U.S. Olympic setter Debbie Green, took over the program in June when Ashley Preston accepted the head coaching position at New Orleans. Titan sophomore Elizabeth Schuster, a cousin of Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, is averaging a league-high 10.4 assists per set. The Titans had the shortest nonconference schedule in the Big West and sophomore Julia Crawford emerged as their go-to scorer with 4.04 kills per set, good for second in the league, and 4.30 points per set (fourth ).

UC Riverside (4-7, 0-1 )

Coach : Michelle Patton-Coleman (51-157, ninth year )

UH dates : Today (A ), Oct. 30 (H )

Series record : UH 27-0 Outlook : The Highlanders were held to.063 hitting in Tuesday's loss to UC Davis, with 28 kills offset by 22 hitting errors. UCR is hitting.147 as a team, somewhat muting the production of 6-foot-2 opposite Ayanna Kimbrough, who leads the team with 2.56 kills per set and a.310 hitting percentage. Junior Amarachi Osuji leads the team with 14 aces, the second highest total in the conference. UH fell behind UCR 2-0 in its 2017 visit to SRC Arena but has won 18 consecutive sets against the Highlanders since.