The University of Hawai’i was selected to reclaim the Big West women’s volleyball conference title in 2015, according to the Big West women’s volleyball preseason coaches poll as voted on by the nine head coaches.

The Rainbow Wahine, who were unsuccessful at a three-peat last season, collected eight first-place votes en route to an 80-point total.  Reigning Big West champion Long Beach State, who captured the 2014 title with a perfect 16-0 recorded, nabbed the final first-place vote and secured second place with 68 points.  UC Santa Barbara rounds out the top three after earning 56 points.



Last year Hawai’i was unable to secure the conference crown for the first time in 20 seasons, having captured its respective conference title (WAC & Big West) the previous 19 years.  The Rainbow Wahine, who faced a tough challenge of filling the void of All-American outside hitter Emily Hartong and All-Big West first team setter Mita Uiato, finished second to Long Beach State, who was undefeated in conference play, with a 13-3 Big West mark.  But the consensus among the coaches this season seems to be that Hawai’i will find itself back in familiar territory at the top of the standings when the season concludes.  Head Coach Dave Shoji, entering his 41st season at the helm of the UH women’s volleyball program, returns most of his roster thanks to a youthful team he showcased in 2014.  Leading the charge is a trio of All-Big West First Teamers in outside hitters Nikki Taylor and Tai Manu-Olevao and 2014 AVCA All-America Honorable Mention member Olivia Magill, who dominated the Big West on both sides of the net with league highs in hitting percentage (.405) and blocks (1.34).

Picked to finish second in this year’s race is defending championship Long Beach State, who is coming off a remarkable season that witnessed the 49ers claim their 13th Big West title with an unblemished mark of 16-0.  It marked the fifth time in program history LBSU registered a perfect conference record as it became the ninth team in Big West history to have an undefeated season. This season will showcase a lot of fresh faces as the 49ers welcome 11 new players, including nine freshmen.  Long Beach State may not be bringing a lot of veterans back for 2015, but who is returning is pretty impressive as 2014 Big West Freshman of the Year middle blocker Ashley Murray and 2014 Big West Player of the Year and AVCA All-Region setter Jennell Hudson return to the lineup.  Last season Murray ranked third in the conference in hitting percentage (.342) and fourth in blocks (1.21), while Hudson ranked third on the team with a .309 clip.  Defense was also key last year as the 49ers limited their opponents to a miniscule, league-leading .158 hitting percentage to rank 23rd in the country. 

UC Santa Barbara struggled a bit to find its momentum in 2014, finishing sixth with an 8-8 mark, but this year the coaches feel the Gauchos are on the rise as they were picked to finish third in the Big West Conference.  A large part of the potential upswing may be due to the fact that third-year head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch added the country’s 18th-best recruiting class, according to PrepVolleyball.com, to the Gauchos’ roster.  It is the program’s highest ranking since the website started publishing the annual list in 2003, beating out its 2004 class which landed at No. 26.  The incoming class joins a core of veterans which includes five seniors.  One key player back for her senior campaign is two-time All-Big West First Team member Ali Barbeau, who led the Gauchos in both scoring (311.5 points) and kills (265) last season.

CSUN sits fourth with 53 points and is followed by UC Davis in fifth after registering 50 points.  The Anteaters of UC Irvine, who will be lead by first-year head coach Ashlie Hain in 2015, landed the sixth slot with a 39 point total and Cal Poly holds the seventh spot with 32 points.  UC Riverside (15) and Cal State Fullerton (12) round out the nine-team field.

The 2015 women’s volleyball season gets underway Friday, August 28.

2015 Big West Women’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Hawai’i (8)                      80
2. Long Beach State (1)     68
3. UC Santa Barbara          56
4. CSUN                             53
5. UC Davis                        50
6. UC Irvine                        39
7. Cal Poly                          32
8. UC Riverside                  15
9. Cal State Fullerton         12

( ) Denotes first place votes