It All Comes Down To This
As we enter the final week of conference play, two teams are tied atop the Big West standings with a 10-4 record and two teams are knotted in third place with a 10-5 mark. Defending champion and preseason favorite Long Beach State and UC Irvine both can control their own destiny this week as the 49ers go for their 10th conference title and the Anteaters try to claim their first league title.
Long Beach State hosts UC Riverside and UC Irvine entertains Cal State Fullerton Friday evening, opponents both teams defeated last weekend. If they mirror their results again on Friday, Saturday's showdown at The Walter Pyramid between the 49ers and 'Eaters could be a winner take all match. UC Irvine won the previous outing between the two teams in a tightly contested five-set marathon with scores of 27-29, 25-23, 25-17, 18-25, 15-13. Long Beach State, who is 9-2 at home this season, hasn't lost a match in front of its hometown fans since Aug. 29 when they lost 3-2 to then-No. 2 Texas.
In other words, which ever team can post a 2-0 record to close out Big West play will claim sole possession of the top spot in the standings and clinch both the 2009 Big West Women's Volleyball title and the NCAA automatic qualifier. If neither teams goes 2-0, it opens the door for UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis, who must win on Saturday to even have a chance to put themselves in the running.
Crowning The Champion
Of the nine current members in the Big West, four of them have captured at least one Big West title - Cal Poly, Long Beach State, UC Santa Barbara and Pacific. Long Beach State leads the quartet with nine conference championships, followed by UC Santa Barbara and Pacific with five apiece. The Mustangs round out the field with three titles.
NCAA Selection Show
The field of 64 teams for the 2009 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament will be unveiled on ESPN News at noon (PST) on Sunday, Nov. 29. The 2009 first and second round host sites will also be announced during the selection show while the Regional and Final sites are predetermined. This year's Regional sites include Gainesville, Fla., Minneapolis, Minn., Omaha, Neb. and Stanford, Calif., with the finals taking place at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., December 17 &19.
Ledoux's Record-Setting Night
In Friday's match at UC Riverside, Caitlin Ledoux tied Tara Cross for the sixth-most kills in a single match in LBSU history with 33. Her 33 kills were the most for any 49er since Tayyiba Haneef in 2000, and Ledoux was just the third player in school history to reach 33 kills, joining Haneef and Cross (five times) at that number. Ledoux is just the fourth player in the nation to tally 30-plus kills this season.
Quick And To The Point
Long Beach State has seemed like a team on a mission this season, sweeping a league-high 13 opponents this season. Even more impressive, the seven of the 49ers' last nine victories have been by a score of 3-0. Cal State Fullerton, UC Davis and UC Irvine rank second in the Big West Conference each recording 10 three-set wins.
Better Than 50-50
If the 2009 season were to end right now, there would be six teams with an above .500 overall record - UC Irvine (.778), UC Santa Barbara (.741), Long Beach State (.708), UC Davis (.630), Pacific (.630) and Cal State Fullerton (.593). The last time that happened was in 2004 when six teams registered an above-.500 overall mark.
UCSB, UCI Reach 20-Win Milestone
A 3-1 win over UC Davis handed UC Santa Barbara its first 20-win season since 2005. UC Santa Barbara's 10 conference victories are the most by the team since winning 12 league games in 2005, the last time UCSB captured the Big West crown.
Also capturing their 20th win of the season last weekend were the UC Irvine Anteaters, who went 2-0 to improve to 21-6. This marks their third 20-win season since competing in the Big West. The previous two years where the 20-win plateau was reached were 2007 (21-11) and 2003 (24-10).
UCD Eyes 20th Win
UC Davis, who collected 16 total wins over the past two seasons combined, currently sits at 19-10 with one regular season contest remaining. If the Aggies are able to notch a victory Saturday at Pacific, they will post their first 20-win season since competing at the DI level in the Big West. Davis joined the league back in 2007, but were successful for many years at the DII level. The last time UCD showcased a 20-win season was back in 1996 when the Aggies boasted a 21-6 mark and advanced to the NCAA DII Tournament.
Long Beach State Homeward Bound
Long Beach State wraps up its 2009 regular season schedule with six home contests. The 49ers visit UC Riverside and Cal State Northridge this weekend before starting their homestand. The conference portion of their schedule wraps up next week with UC Riverside and UC Irvine visiting The Walter Pyramid. LBSU than hosts their annual Thanksgiving tournament where they are set to play four matches.
Pestolesi's Double-Doubles
In UC Irvine's sweep over Cal State Fullerton, Kari Pestolesi registered a team-high 13 kills and 21 digs and then followed that up with an 18-kill, 15-dig performance in the 'Eaters win over UC Riverside. In 27 matches played so far this season, the junior outside hitter has recorded a league-best 19 double-doubles on the season.
Big West On Twitter
The Big West Conference is excited to bring Big West Live to Twitter, a Twitter feed designed to give fans an in-the-stands view of select Big West Events. Bringing near-instantaneous photos, commentary, and updates, Big West Live is the first feed of its kind. Moving beyond the scores and stats, Big West Live delivers the color of Big West events.
Live On The Net
The Big West Conference and the CBS College Sports Network are partnering to bring you exclusive coverage of Big West sports, press conferences, interviews and features into your home via the Internet! Now in its fifth year, BigWest.TV covers every home and conference contest in womens volleyball as well as mens and womens basketball. Also covered are select contests in mens and womens soccer, baseball, softball, and Big West Conference Championships. A monthly subscription of $9.95 or an annual subscription of $79.95 delivers exclusive coverage to you. If you cant make it to the gym or the field, you can still catch all the action on BigWest.TV!