DAVIS, Calif. — Following an historic regular season, UC Davis volleyball is ready for the 2025 Big West Volleyball Championships hosted by Long Beach State. The Aggies first match will be in the semifinals against UC Santa Barbara on Friday, Nov. 28 at 3:00 p.m. PT.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW
Nov. 28 (Big West Semifinals)  — vs. UC Santa Barbara | ESPN+ | Live Stats | @ucdaviswvb (X/Instagram)

Nov. 29 (Big West Finals)  — vs. TBD | ESPN+ | Live Stats | @ucdaviswvb (X/Instagram)


GAME NOTES

• Season Record: The Aggies finish the regular season with a 20-6 overall record with a 16-2 mark in conference play. They wrapped up the season at home with a five-set thriller over CSUN on Thursday night and a sweep of Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday. These wins propelled UC Davis to their first-ever Big West regular season championship.
• Among The Best In The Nation: With 20 wins on the season, the Aggies have consistently been among the top teams in the NCAA RPI rankings. This week, UC Davis came in at 58th in the country.
• All-Time Winningest Coach: Cal Aggie Hall of Famer Kathy DeYoung set the precedent for UC Davis volleyball with 169 career victories, a program record that stood for nearly 40 years. With an Aggie win over CSUN last Thursday, head coach Dan Conners broke that record with his 170th career victory.
• End of Year Awards: On Tuesday, the Big West Conference announced their end of season awards, and the Aggies took home four of the five Player of the Year awards, along with six All-Conference nominations. Dan Conners was named Coach of the Year, Jade Light became Player of the Year, Mia Starr was named Setter of the Year, and Ximena Cordero Barr was Libero of the Year. All three players were also All-Big West First Team nominees, Ally Chandler was named to the All-Conference Second Team, Breeze Czapinski was an Honorable Mention, and Brooke Hibino became an All-Freshman player.
• Conference Record: In a win against UC San Diego on Nov. 8, UC Davis set a new program record with 14 conference wins, breaking the previous mark of 13 set in the record-breaking 2024 season. 
• Big West Standings: At 16-2 in Big West play, the Aggies outpaced Cal Poly in the standings to clinch the No. 1 seed in the conference for the first time in program history. The team was also one of two teams (Cal Poly) to secure a first-round bye in the Big West Tournament.
• Offensive Mastermind: At 387 kills and 3.99 per set this season, Jade Light has been the best hitter not only on the Aggies but the entire Big West Conference, ranking first in the conference in kills per set. Her great play elevated Light to a number of accolades throughout the season, including being named Offensive Player of the Week three times while being selected to the All-Conference First Team and being named the conferences Player of the Year.
• 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 sitting in first place with 99 blocks and Caldwell close behind with 95. Each player also ranks in the top ten in the conference in blocks per set, with Caldwell sitting in third (1.16) and Chandler ranking eighth (1.02). Heading into the postseason, the duo looks to become the first pair of Aggies to have 100 or more blocks in a season since 2014.
• Super Setter: Senior Haden Bones has taken a step up as a defensive specialist in 2025, leading the Aggies with 35 service aces on the season. She also ranks third in the conference in aces per set (0.36)
• Leading Libero: In her first season as the Aggies libero, Ximena Cordero Barr has been a difference maker for the defense, protecting the backcourt with 445 digs on the season. The former All-Freshman also ranks second in the Big West Conference with 4.45 digs per set. On Tuesday, she was also named the conference's Libero of the Year and All-Big West First Team.
• 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, putting up 1009 assists and surpassing 2,500 assists in her career earlier this season. Among Big West setters, she ranks first with 10.40 assists per set. On Tuesday, she was also named the Big West Setter of the Year and onto the conference's All-Conference First Team.
• Breakout Season: After spending last season battling injuries, third-year player Brooke Hibino has started to shine for the Aggies, currently ranking fourth on the team with 207 kills on the year. Against Santa Barbara earlier this season, she set a new career-high with 18 kills in a five-set comeback win. Yesterday, she was named to the Big West All-Freshman Team.
• 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 OPPONENT

• UC Santa Barbara is 23-8 on the season, sweeping CSUN in the first round of the tournament on Wednesday.
• Offensively, the Gauchos are led by reigning Big West Offensive Player of the Week Eva Travis, who has compiled 353 kills throughout the season. At seasons end, she was named to the All-Conference Second Team.
• Gabi Martinez, the conferences Freshman of the Year, has also put up a productive season on the offensive end with 315 kills. Additionally, she compiled 135 digs and 48 total blocks on the defense.
• The Aggies and Gauchos play each other for just the second time this season. In the teams previous matchup on Oct. 23, UC Davis triumphed at home in five sets.

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 171 career wins make him the winningest coach in program history.
• 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.