SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team (25-3) are ready for the final weekend of regular season Big West play as the Gauchos will face the UC Davis Aggies and the UC Riverside Highlanders in The Thunderdome.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos hosted the UC San Diego Tritons, who are unable to compete in postseason play this season as they finish their transition to Division I status. However, the Tritons gave UC Santa Barbara some trouble as this match went to five sets. This didn't stop the Gauchos from winning as UC Santa Barbara won in five sets. With this win, UC Santa Barbara won The Big West Regular Season title while securing the No. 1 seed in The Big West Championships next week.
ANTAGONIZING THE AGGIES
UC Davis is coming into this match after a 1-1 week. They grabbed a four-set win over CSUN before dropping another four-setter to Cal State Bakersfield. Right now, the Aggies are in contention for one of the two remaining spots in The Big West Championships as they keep their postseason hopes alive.
The Aggies have one of the best front row defenders in the conference on their team. Ally Chandler is currently tied for the most blocks in The Big West with 122.
The offense for UC Davis is led by junior opposite Olivia Utterback. She currently has the most kills on the team with 302 while she also leads the team in service aces, securing 35 so far this season. Freshman Reese Diersbock is the next closest Aggie with 200 kills.
The back row defense is held down by libero Julia Ng, who has 332 digs this season.
This team runs a 6-2 offense with setters Mia Starr and Casi Newman. They have a combined 937 assists.
The Aggies are coached by Dan Conners, who is in his 10th season with the program. During that time, he has accumulated an overall record of 132-131.
HINDERING THE HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside is coming off two losses last week to Cal State Bakersfield and CSUN. Those losses came after the Highlanders secured wins over Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine on their home court.
Tylee Fuller is one of the best servers in The Big West. She averages .38 aces per set, which comes out to a total of 32 aces on the season.
The team's offense is led by senior outside hitter Delaney Tate. She has 212 kills on the season so far while sophomore outside hitter Sophia Ewalefo is close behind her with 189.
On defense, the Highlanders are led by sophomore Jessica Dean. She currently has 293 digs on the season, which is almost 100 more than the next closest Highlander.
The primary setter for UC Riverside is sophomore Beatriz Silva. She is heading into this match with 596 assists.
The Highlanders are coached by Nicky Cannon, who is in her second season with the program. Cannon is familiar with The Big West as she was the assistant coach at Cal State Fullerton before taking over at Riverside.
WHEREABOUTS
Both matches will take place in The Thunderdome on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 17 and 18 at 7 p.m. On Friday evening, the Gauchos will celebrate Native American Heritage Month. Then on Saturday, the Gauchos will celebrate their six seniors and their dedication to the program. For those who can't make it to The Thunderdome, they will be able to watch the action on ESPN+.
