SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team will be back in action as they play two more Big West matches this week. The Gauchos will start the week against the Cal Poly Mustangs in the second leg of the Blue-Green Rivalry before they make the trip to Honolulu to face Hawai'i.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos have been on a hot streak as of late as they won their last three matches. Most recently, they took down Long Beach State in five sets. Along with that, UC Santa Barbara took down UC San Diego in four sets on the road while sweeping Hawai'i in The Thunderdome. With her performances this weekend,
Eva Travis was named as The Big West's Freshman of the Week. She averaged 4.22 kills and 4.72 points per set.
MAINTAINING THE MUSTANGS
Cal Poly is coming into this match with a 7-3 record in The Big West. Over the last three matches, the Mustangs took down Long Beach State in five sets while dropping matches to Hawai'i and UC San Diego on their home court.
The Mustangs are the most efficient offensive teams in The Big West. They are No. 1 in the conference and 62nd in the NCAA when it comes to hitting percentage as they boast a .242 clip.
Emme Bullis is one of the best setters in the NCAA. She ranks 22nd in the country when it comes to assists as she averages 10.51 per set. This is also the best number in The Big West. Tommi Stockham is also a key piece to the puzzle. She ranks second in The Big West and 90th in the NCAA when it comes to points, averaging 4.24 per set.
WATCHING THE WAHINE
Hawai'i wrapped up a weekend on their home court against CSUN and Cal State Bakersfield, where they won both matches. Caylen Alexander was a crucial piece to that puzzle as she was named The Big West's Offensive Player of the Week.
The Rainbow Wahine are one of the best teams in the country on offense. They rank 29th in team kills and 26th in team assists, which also turn out to be the best numbers in The Big West.
Alexander is a huge part of the stats above for Hawai'i. She ranks third in the NCAA in kills per set (5.23), points (460.5) and points per set (5.76) as she is also the best attacker in The Big West. Not only that, but she is second in the NCAA in total kills, accumulating 418 so far this season. Kate Lang is the one who distributes the ball to her as she is 18th in the NCAA in assists with 854.
WHEREABOUTS
The first match of the week will take place in The Thunderdome on Tuesday, Oct. 29, as they take on the Mustangs. Then, the Gauchos will make the trip to the Stan Sheriff Center to take on the Rainbow Wahine on Friday, Nov. 1. First serve in The Thunderdome will be at 7 p.m. while the match in Honolulu will begin at 10 p.m. PT. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
