Schedule
Friday, October 7
at Long Beach State (6-6, 1-3) – 7 PM
Walter Pyramid – Long Beach, Calif.
ESPN+
Saturday, October 8
at Cal State Fullerton (8-4, 2-2) – 5 PM
Titan Gym – Fullerton, Calif.
ESPN+
Gauchos on the Air
Both matches will be aired live on ESPN+ and links can be found above and on the schedule page. Live stats will also be available for both matches.
Last Time Out
The Gauchos extended their win streak to six-straight last weekend picking up a huge four-set win over rival Cal Poly in a match that aired live on ESPNU. Despite trailing 20-12 in the fourth set, UCSB rallied back to end the set and the match on a 14-4 run that was capped off by a play that featured a foot-dig by Macall Peed. The team followed that effort by sweeping CSU Bakersfield less than 24 hours later to remain unbeaten in Big West play.
Scouting the Competition
Long Beach State comes into Friday's match in the Pyramid with an even 6-6 overall record but is 1-3 in The Big West having lost to Cal State Fullerton and Hawai'i last weekend in four sets. While the team has struggled through the first two weeks of conference play, it does have impressive wins over Oregon State, Boise State, and Notre Dame. The Gauchos have not won in the Pyramid since 2011.
Cal State Fullerton boasts an 8-4 overall record and an even 2-2 conference mark having split its two matches last weekend. The Titans topped Long Beach State at home in four set but was swept by Hawai'i. Before losing two of their last three, the Titans rode a six-match win streak. They will face CSUN Friday night before welcoming the Gauchos to Titan Gym.
Froley and Peed Earn Big West Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week Awards
The Big West announced its weekly awards Monday afternoon tabbing Tallulah Froley and Macall Peed the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week. The honors come after a 2-0 start for the Gauchos where Froley and Peed led the team to two five-set wins on the road over UC San Diego and UC Irvine.
Froley was incredible from the right side as she tied her career-high twice with 18 kills in back-to-back matches for a k/s average of .360 on a .360 hitting percentage. On Friday she led all players with her 18 kills vs. UCSD and did so on an efficient .455 clip (18-3-33), while adding three blocks and a dig. On Saturday, she led the Gauchos to a reverse sweep over UC Irvine and handed the Anteaters their first home loss of the season with 18 more on a .286 clip (18-6-42) to go with three digs and two blocks.
Peed was dynamic defensively as she averaged 4.90 digs per set on the weekend and was perfect as a passer posting a 1.000 serve reception percentage on 47 attempts. In Friday's conference opener Peed posted a career-high 30 digs and added an ace and five assists as well against the Tritons. The next night she scooped 19 more digs to neutralize the conference's hitting percentage and kills per set leader, UC Irvine. The Anteaters were held to nearly .100 less than their season average.
This is Froley's second time winning the award and first since 2019. It is also Peed's second honor with her first coming last season.
Ohwobete Bringing the Heat
The reigning Big West Freshman of the Year, Michelle Ohwobete, has picked up right where she left off last season once again proving to be an effective all-around player at the outside hitter position. She currently leads the team with a 2.79 kills per set average and is second behind only starting libero Macall Peed with a 2.45 digs per set average. She is also tasked with a bulk of the team's passing duties and does so brilliantly as she only has five receiving errors this season on 272 attempts for a .982 percentage. If that weren't enough, Ohwobete also leads the team with 20 total aces and a 0.38 per set average.
Peed Plays D
2021 First Team All-Conference selection Macall Peed is once again getting it done on the defensive end for the Gauchos leading the team with a 3.98 digs per set average. She has notched double-digit digs on 10 occasions already including a career-high 30 against UC San Diego. In situations that call for it, she has also been a reliable setter tallying 1.21 assists per set.
Dishing It Up
Early on this season the Gauchos have filled their setter needs by committee in their 6-2 offense as Megan Shimoda, Grace McIntosh, and Mehana Ma'a have shared the duties so far. After missing the first weekend of competition, Ma'a came on strong at the Pepperdine Asics Tournament putting together a 6.00 assist per set mark which now paces the team. Shimoda, who has played the most sets (52) ranks second with a 4.44 average and McIntosh is just behind her at 3.76.
Gauchos Tabbed to Place Second in Preseason Coaches' Poll
The Big West Conference announced its 2022 Preseason Women's Volleyball Coaches' Poll tabbing UC Santa Barbara to finish second this season in the conference race. The Preseason Coaches' Team was also announced with senior middle blocker Deni Wilson representing the Gauchos.
UCSB earned 94 total points in the poll and five first-place votes, and was only edged out by reigning champion Hawai'i, which garnered 96 points and six first-place votes. This is the highest finish for the Gauchos since the poll began in 2015 and the most first-place votes they have earned. The team was selected third in each of the last two seasons.
Last season the Gauchos finished second in the Big West with a 17-3 conference record and handed both losses to the 18-2 Rainbow Wahine. One was a sweep a home and the other a five-set thriller on the island to close out the season.
Making her first ever preseason team was Wilson, who comes into the season as one of the leaders of the team and is looking to follow up a 2021 campaign that saw her named First Team All-Conference and AVCA All-Region. During that year she topped the Big West with 26 solo blocks and ranked 22nd in the nation with a .391 hitting percentage.
UCSB Earns Eighth Straight USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award
The United State Marine Corps (USMC) and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced its yearly USMC/AVCA Team Academic Awards, naming the UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball team to its ranks for the eighth consecutive year. A total of 1,213 programs were honored across all levels of the sport from high school to Division I.
UCSB is one of just 38 DI programs to have made the list the last eight years in a row and are the sole Big West team to make the list eight times.
The award honors volleyball programs that maintain a year-long grade-point average (GPA) of 3.30 on a 4.0 scale, or 4.10 on a 5.0 scale. The Gauchos posted a 3.525 this past Spring Quarter.
