After collecting a share of its second consecutive Big West Conference title last season, the nine Big West coaches feel that the Rainbow Wahine are primed to capture a third straight title following the tabulation of the 2014 Big West women’s volleyball preseason coaches poll. 

The Rainbow Wahine nabbed five first-place votes en route to a 77-point total.  Once again, Long Beach State locked in second place with 68 points and was followed by UC Santa Barbara, who secured the third slot after picking up two first-place votes and a total of 63 points.  The Matadors of CSUN received the final first-place vote and tallied a fourth-place point total of 60.

In 2013 Hawai’i was crowned tri-champions, along with CSUN and UC Santa Barbara, after posting a 13-3 mark.  The Rainbow Wahine are led by Head Coach Dave Shoji, who leads the nation in career wins with a minimum 10 years as a Division I head coach since 1982 with 1,228 victories.  Entering his 40th season at the helm, Shoji guides a team that has 10 underclassmen, including seven freshman, on its 2014 roster.  The talented, but young squad has the challenge of filling the void of two-time Big West Player of the Year and All-American honoree outside hitter Emily Hartong and All-Big West first team member setter Mita Uiato, who led the league with an 11.11 assist average a year ago.   Despite the losses, Hawai’i does welcome back outside hitter Nikki Taylor, who claimed 2013 All-Big West first team honors during her freshman campaign and All-Big West Honorable Mention team member Kalei Adolpho, which will be paired with the 12th ranked recruiting class by PrepVolleyball.

Picked to finish second in the Big West race is Long Beach State, who last season struggled at the start of conference play but finished strong down the stretch to secure fourth place with an 11-5 record.  In 2014 fans will see a multitude of familiar faces, including 2013 All-Big West First Team member Chisom Okpala, who helped the 49ers pace the league with a 2.70 blocks per set average.  Joining Okpala on the 49ers’ lineup are outside hitter Alex Reid, who finished second on the team last season with a 2.90 kill average, and opposite Bre Mackie, who notched 2.19 kills per match.  Mackie also ranked second on LBSU’s squad  last year with a .273 hitting percentage.  The veterans will have some additional help by the 10th-ranked recruiting class, according to PrepVolleyball, and two international players - Sophie Bukovec and Anete Brinke - who were not included on PrepVolleyball’s ranking of the incoming recruiting classes but have the potential to make an immediate impact.

#BWCWarmUp - Fall 2014

Under the helm of first year head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch, UC Santa Barbara led a youthful squad to a 13-3 Big West Conference record to tie for first place with Hawai’i and CSUN, giving the Gauchos a share of their first Big West title since 2005.  The Gauchos earned the conference’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament after winning a head-to-head tiebreaker to mark the first time the Gauchos advanced to the postseason since 2009.  With a majority of the team returning, including 2013 Big West Freshman of the Year and All-Big West First team member Ali Spindt, UCSB is primed to defend its share of the title. The outside hitter recorded a team-best 315 kills and finished second among all Gauchos with 357 points last year.  Joining Spindt and her fellow teammates are six freshmen UC Santa Barbara added to its 2014 roster during the offseason.

CSUN is coming off one of the most memorable seasons in school history after clinching a share of its first-ever Big West title with UC Santa Barbara and Hawai’i.  The Matadors tallied their highest conference win total since joining the Big West in 2001 at 13-3, earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004 and became the first Matador women’s volleyball team to win an NCAA Tournament match.  The Matadors’ 24 regular season wins in 2014 was the third-most in the school’s Division I era and the highest win total since the 1992 squad posted a 27-8 mark.  The 2014 season looks prosperous for CSUN since it brings back a majority of the team from last year’s historic season, which includes three-time All-Big West First Team selection Casey Hinger.  Last year she became the first CSUN Division I player to earn national accolades multiple times in her Matador career following her second-consecutive AVCA All-America Honorable Mention selection. In 2013 the middle blocker paced the Matadors in kills, kills per set, points and blocks.  Her 358 kill total from a season ago ranked sixth in CSUN’s record book for the rally scoring era.

UC Irvine landed in fifth place with 42 points and was followed by Cal Poly who registered 34 points to secure the sixth spot.  UC Davis (25), Cal State Fullerton (24) and UC Riverside 12)  rounded out the nine-team field.