DAVIS, Calif. — Following a weekend at the Mustang Roundup, UC Davis beach volleyball is back in action at the Big West Challenge hosted by Long Beach State on Mar. 21-22. The Aggies open with a triple header against Cal Poly, Long Beach, and Sacramento State on Friday, Mar. 21 before wrapping up with another triple header on Saturday, Mar. 22 against Hawai'i, Cal State Bakersfield, and CSUN.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW
Mar. 21  — vs. #3 Cal Poly (@ 9:10 am) | Live Stats | @ucdavisbvb (X/Instagram)

Mar. 21  — at #11 Long Beach State (@ 11:30 am) | Live Stats | @ucdavisbvb (X/Instagram)

Mar. 21  — vs. Sacramento State (@ 3:00 pm) | Live Stats | @ucdavisbvb (X/Instagram)

Mar. 22  — vs. #13 Hawai'i (@ 9:10 am) | Live Stats | @ucdavisbvb (X/Instagram)

Mar. 22  — vs. Cal State Bakersfield (@ 12:40 pm) | Live Stats | @ucdavisbvb (X/Instagram)

Mar. 22  — vs. CSUN (@ 4:10 pm) | Live Stats | @ucdavisbvb (X/Instagram)


GAME NOTES

• Last Time Out: UC Davis is 3-9 on the season following a win in last weekend's Mustang Roundup. The Aggies picked up a win over CSUN last Friday 4-1, the first win for head coach Ari Homayun over her former team.
• First of Many: In the final competition of the opening weekend, the Aggies won 3-2 over Colorado Mesa for their first victory of the season. This victory was the first for new Aggies head coach Ari Homayun.
• Top Competitors: In the fourth flight last weekend, the duo of Skye Smolinski and Kate O'Steen went 4-0, getting wins over ranked opponents Grand Canyon and Arizona. Overall, the pair leads the team with six wins on the season.
• 2025 Recap: The Aggies are coming off an 18-17 season a year ago, falling to Hawai'i in five sets in the first round of Big West Tournament bracket play.
• 2026 Preseason Poll: Ahead of the season, the Aggies were picked to finish fourth in the Big West preseason coaches poll, receiving 20 points.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS

• Cal Poly is 14-2 overall on the season, coming into the week ranked No. 3 in the nation after winning all four contests at the Mustang Roundup.
• Two Mustang pairs have picked up 15 wins on the season, with Ella Connor/Erin Inskeep and Izzy Martinez/Logan Walter each 15-1 going into the weekend.
• UC Davis is 1-12 all-time against Cal Poly.
• Long Beach enters the weekend 10-4, winning three of four last weekend in Stanford.
• At the top of the lineup, the Beach are led by All-American pair Malia Gementera and Taylor Hagenah, passing 100 career wins this season.
• UC Davis is 0-11 all-time against Long Beach State.
• Sacramento State is 8-7 on the season, dropping the first two matchups of the Big West Challenge against Hawai'i and Long Beach on Friday.
• Reese Ampi and Ashlynn Archer serve as the top Hornets, going 8-3 in the second flight and 9-6 overall.
• UC Davis picked up a victory over Sacramento State 3-2 earlier this season at the Battle for the Bay.
• Hawai'i comes into the weekend 7-8, beating No. 1 UCLA in the opening weekend of the season.
• The top BeachBows pair is Julia Lawrenz and Izadora Stedile, going 10-4 entering Friday's games.
• Hawai'i is 12-1 all-time against UC Davis. Sunday marks the first time Coach Homayun has faced her former team as the head of the Aggies.
• Cal State Bakersfield is 5-10 on the season, splitting the Malibu Invite 2-2 last weekend.
• In the third flight, sisters Kendal and Vivi Kaelin lead the 'Runners with a 10-5 record.
• UC Davis leads 9-1 over Cal State Bakersfield in the all-time series.
• CSUN is 2-11 on the season, dropping all four matches in the Mustang Roundup last weekend.
• Two CSUN pairs have four wins to lead the team through the first month of the 2026 season. Hannah Heflin and Maleya Miles are 4-9 at the No. 1 spot and Haley Coggins and Daysha Halbert are also 4-9.
• UC Davis holds a 10-2 record over CSUN, winning 4-1 last weekend at the Mustang Roundup.

SEASON NOTES

• After an historic career with Hawai'i beach volleyball and becoming the all-time winningest coach at CSUN last season, Ari Homayun enters her first season as head coach for the Aggies in 2026.
• Joining her staff is former Redlands assistant coach Georgia Romine-Black, who spent three seasons with the Buccaneers, helping lead the team to the NAIA championships for the first time in program history in 2021.
• Despite the loss of all-conference player Kylie Miller, the Aggies bring back a number of contributors from last season, including Skye Smolinski, Kate O'Steen, and Kimi Waller.
• Coach Homayun has also recruited a solid class of freshman and transfers, including former Matador Morgan Gillinger, former Roadrunner Ella Erteltova, and freshmen Reagan Cook, Savannah White, Elle Black, and Kaitlynn Chastain.
• With UC Davis making the move to the West Coast Conference in 2027, this season marks its last in the Big West.

ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS: \
UC Davis, the No. 2 ranked public university by the Wall Street Journal, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked No. 1 in Agriculture and Forestry as well as No. 1 in Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27. 

For more information, visit https://ucdavisaggies.com/.