DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis volleyball begins its 2025 campaign with a three-day tournament at the Sacramento State Invitational from Friday, Aug. 29 to Sunday, Aug. 31.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW
Aug. 29 — vs. Pepperdine |
ESPN+ |
Live Stats | @ucdaviswvb (X/Instagram)
Aug. 30 — vs. Sacramento State |
ESPN+ |
Live Stats
Aug. 31 — vs. UTEP |
Live Stats
GAME NOTES
- Opening Weekend: First three games of the 2025 season across the Causeway in Sacramento.
- Road Warriors: The Aggies open the year with their first 10 matches away from the University Credit Union Center
- Big West Honors: Jade Light and Ally Chandler were named to the Big West preseason coaches' team following All-Conference performances last season. Chandler finished 2024 on the All-Big West Second Team with 81 total blocks. Also landing on the All-Big West Second Team last year, Light was a star on the offensive side of the court, ranking second on the team with 3.96 kills per set.
- 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
- Pepperdine was picked to finish second in the WCC volleyball preseason poll.
- Ella Piskorz, Vanessa Polk, and Iva Popovic were named to the WCC preseason team.
- Friday's match marks only the second time the Aggies and Waves have played each other, facing off in a tournament in 2008.
- Sacramento State was selected to finish third in the Big Sky preseason poll, with Katie Doorn being named preseason All-League.
- After finishing Big Sky play 11-5 last season, the Hornets qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 11th time in their Division I history.
- Sacramento State is 54-27 all-time over UC Davis. However, the Aggies have won three straight and five of the last six over the Hornets, including a four-set home victory last season.
- UTEP was picked second in the Conference USA preseason coaches poll.
- Senior middle blocker Kaya Weaver, last year's CUSA Defensive Player of the Year, has been named the conference's Preseason Player of the Year. In 2024, she led the Miners with 151 blocks and ranked seventh in the nation with a .439 hitting percentage.
- UTEP enters 2025 after qualifying for the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2024.
- Sunday marks the first-ever matchup between the Aggies and the Miners.
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 151 career wins rank third on the Aggies' all-time 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.
- The roster blends a strong returning core of players, including Chandler, 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.
