DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis volleyball continues their first homestand of 2025 this weekend when the team faces off against UC San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 9, and Long Beach State on Saturday, Oct. 11. Thursday's match will begin at 6:00 p.m. PT, and first serve for Saturday will be at 11:00 a.m. PT.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW
Oct. 9  — vs. UC San Diego | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Parking Info | @ucdaviswvb (X/Instagram)

Oct. 11  — vs. Long Beach State | Live Stats | Parking Info | @ucdaviswvb (X/Instagram)


GAME NOTES

• Season Record: The Aggies are 8-4 on the season and 4-0 in conference play. Last weekend's action featured a sweep over Cal State Fullerton and a four-set victory over UC Irvine.
• Among The Best In The Nation: UC Davis entered this week's NCAA RPI poll at #82 in the nation, sitting third among Big West teams. Defensively, the Aggies have climbed near the top of the nation, ranking 11th in the NCAA with an opponent's hitting percentage of .154.
• Gunning Towards Aggie History: Cal Aggie Hall of Famer Kathy DeYoung set the precedent for UC Davis volleyball with 169 career victories, a program record that has stood for nearly 40 years. Now, head coach Dan Conners is closing in on that milestone, currently at 159 career wins — just 11 shy of becoming the winningest coach in program history. 
• Big West Standings: With a 4-0 record in conference play, the Aggies remain just one of two programs in the conference to remain undefeated, with Long Beach State also holding a 4-0 mark. On Thursday, UC Davis looks to go 5-0 in conference play for the first time in program history.
• Weekly Awards: With Ximena Cordero Barr grabbing the Big West Defensive Player of the Week and Mia Starr claiming the Setter of the Week, UC Davis took two of the four Big West weekly awards on Monday. Last Saturday, Cordero Barr enjoyed a breakout performance over UC Irvine, setting a brand new career-best 35 digs while also enjoying four assists and a service ace in an Aggie four-set win over the Anteaters. Starr also elevated her game on Saturday, posting her fourth double-double this year in a 46-assist, 11-dig game against UC Irvine, just her third 40+ assist match this season.
• Road to 1,000 Kills: All-Big West Preseason attacker Jade Light has had another high-powered season after being named to the All-Big West Second Team in 2024. Currently, she leads the Aggies with 183 kills and 4.26 kills per set, also leading the Big West in the latter category. Now up to 893 kills in her career, Light looks to become just the 13th player in program history to hit 1,000 kills this season.
• Block Party: Middle Blockers Ally Chandler and Allie Caldwell have set the Aggies up for success on the defensive side of the net, with Chandler leading the team in total blocks with 47 and Caldwell ranking second with 34. Each player also ranks in the top ten in blocks per set, with Caldwell sitting in fifth and Chandler ranking seventh.
• Super Setter: Senior Haden Bones has taken a step up at the setter position in 2025, leading the Aggies with 20 service aces on the season, also ranking second in the conference in aces per set (0.47)
• A Starr On The Court: After being named an All-Big West Honorable Mention a year ago, Mia Starr continues to impress in her junior season, already putting up 436 assists. Among Big West setters, she ranks first with 10.14 assists per set.
• Breakout Season: After spending last season battling injuries, third-year player Brooke Hibino has started to shine for the Aggies, ranking third on the team with 80 kills on the year so far. Against Hawai'i on Sept. 27, she set a new career-high with 15 kills, leading all players on the court in Davis' second-ever win on the Islands.
• 2024 Recap: UC Davis went 19-10 and finished third in the Big West.
• 2025 Poll: Aggies were picked third in the Big West preseason coaches' poll, receiving 75 points.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS

• UC San Diego is 4-12 on the season and 2-2 in conference, sweeping Cal Poly last Friday before falling in five sets to UC Santa Barbara on Saturday.
• Offensively, the Tritons are led by Molly McCluskey, who has 222 kills so far on the season. Against the Gauchos, she secured her sixth double-double of the year with 21 kills and 13 digs.
• Jasmine Saran leads the defensive side of the net with 43 total blocks. She's also been a force on the offensive, putting up 11 kills on Saturday.
• Long Beach State is currently 11-4 overall and 4-0 in The Big West. The team plays UC Riverside on Thursday before making the trip to Davis.
• Reigning Big West Freshman and Offensive Player of the Week Logan King leads the offense for the Beach. King's 3.68 kills per set ranks third in the conference.
• Sitting second in the conference with 64 total blocks, Nieko Thomas protects the net for Long Beach State.

SEASON NOTES

• 2025 marks the 12th season for UC Davis head coach Dan Conners.
• Conners' 2024 was one of historic significance, leading the Aggies to a career high 19 wins and a program best 13 conference wins. His 159 career wins put him in second place on the all-time Aggie wins list.
• The staff features two new assistants: Prima Glorioso, a former assistant at Menlo College and founder of Core Volleyball in Sacramento, serves as the team's director of operations, and Lana Radakovic, a former professional and collegiate player under Conners, coaches the team's middle blockers.
• Returning from last season is assistant coach Danielle (Dee) Davis, who leads recruiting while also serving as a mental performance coach.
• The roster blends a strong returning core of players, including Ally Chandler, Jade Light, Allie Caldwell, Mia Starr, and Ximena Cordero Barr.
• In addition, the 2025 squad includes three new players for the Aggies. Maike Bertens Deckart, a former NJCAA national champion, joins the team for her graduate season after two seasons with the Manhattan Jaspers. Freshmen Laela Burgess and Faith Rabb-Patterson also come to the Aggies after successful high school careers.
• This is UC Davis' final season in the Big West before joining the Mountain West in 2026, and the goal remains to qualify for the Big West Tournament and play Aggie volleyball into December.