SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - In the fourth week of Big West play, the UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team (7-11) will travel to Cal Poly on Thursday before returning to the Thunderdome for a matchup with Hawai'i on Saturday. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Blue and Gold were on the road this past week with two conference matchups in Orange County. The Gauchos took away a 3-1 win in the match against Cal State Fullerton with Eva Travis leading the offense with 13 kills. 
 
The Gauchos came out strong taking the first set in their next match against UC Irvine but ultimately fell in the following three sets for a 1-3 loss. Sophie Reavis earned her third double-double of the season during the visit with the Anteaters. Santa Barbara moved to the top of the Big West conference for team service aces and team total attacks.
 
MASTERING THE MUSTANGS
Cal Poly comes into this week 12-5 overall having only lost one of their six Big West matchups so far. They also took on the Titans and Anteaters last week winning both matches in straight sets. 
 
The Mustangs are on top for the Big West and No. 36 in the NCAA for their execution of aces in recent matches. The hitting percentage and kills per set for the team earned them national rankings as well coming in at No. 35 and 32, respectively.
 
Elif Hurriyet leads the team in the aces column, as well as digs, coming in at No. 52 nationally. 
 
Breklyn Pulling brought the team success with her hitting percentage of .625 at UC Irvine bringing her to No. 29 in the nation. They will be forces for the Gauchos to watch.
 
WRANGLING THE RAINBOW WAHINE
Hawai'i has also proved themselves as a dominant force in recent weeks coming in just above Cal Poly at No. 30 in the NCAA for kills per set. 
 
With a loss to UC Davis and a win in straight sets over UC Riverside last week, the Rainbow Wahine's conference record comes to 4-2 and 10-6 overall. Their only other loss in the Big West occurred in a matchup with UC Irvine.
 
Caylen Alexander leads the offense as the best attacker in the Big West. She has 728 total attacks and 324 kills on the year. 
 
Tayli Ikenaga has become a dominant force in the back row earning the No. 1 ranking in the Big West for digs at 5.43 per set. 
 
Kate Lang comes in No. 37 in the NCAA for assists as the team's top setter. She leads this category at 11.29 assists per set. 
 
WHEREABOUTS
The Gauchos will face the Mustangs first on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Mott Athletics Center. The Saturday match against the Rainbow Wahine will start at 7 p.m. in the Thunderdome. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ for those who are unable to make it in person.