DAVIS, Calif. — After getting back on track with two wins at Huntington Beach last Tuesday, UC Davis beach volleyball goes all across the Bay this week with two games at Stanford against the Cardinal and Saint Mary's on Wednesday, Apr. 1 and four games at Cal versus San Jose State and the Golden Bears from Apr. 3-4.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW
Apr. 1  — vs. Saint Mary's (@ 1:00 pm) | Live Stats | @ucdavisbvb (X/Instagram)

Apr. 1  — at #2 Stanford (@ 3:00 pm) | Live Stats | @ucdavisbvb (X/Instagram)

Apr. 3  — vs. San Jose State (@ 9:00 am) | @ucdavisbvb (X/Instagram)

Apr. 3  — at #9 California (@ 11:30 am) | Live Stats | @ucdavisbvb (X/Instagram)

Apr. 4  — vs. San Jose State (@ 9:00 am) | @ucdavisbvb (X/Instagram)

Apr. 4  — at #9 California (@ 11:30 am) | Live Stats | @ucdavisbvb (X/Instagram)


GAME NOTES

• Last Time Out: UC Davis enters the week 8-12 after picking up five wins last week, including a four match win streak. In a doubleheader against Vanguard and Concordia Irvine last Tuesday, the Aggies got their first sweep of the season over the Lions before finishing the day with four straight wins over the Golden Eagles to win 4-1.
• 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: Now up to an 8-2 record in the fourth flight, duo Skye Smolinski and Kate O'Steen continue to lead the Aggies with ten total wins throughout the season, including four of the last six.
• 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

• Saint Mary's holds an 18-8 record on the season, taking third in last week's West Coast Conference Midseason Challenge.
• The Gaels are led by the duo of Hannah Glick and Barett Nolan, who finished the first month of action undefeated to earn WCC Pair of the Week on Mar. 23.
• UC Davis is 3-4 all-time against Saint Mary's, losing 2-3 last season.
• Stanford enters the week 21-2 while being ranked No. 2 in the nation. The Cardinal are riding a nine game win streak that includes five victories in Texas last week.
• No. 1 pair Kelly Belardi and Avery Jackson have been nearly flawless throughout the month of March, going 9-0 with eight wins over nationally ranked opponents. A perfect weekend in Texas elevates them to being named the AVCA/CBVB National Pair of the Week on Mar. 31, the highest weekly honor for collegiate pairs.
• UC Davis is 0-10 all-time against Stanford, last falling in the Battle of the Bay earlier this year.
• San Jose State is 7-8 on the season, falling 0-5 to Santa Clara two weeks ago at home.
• Pair Grace Baker and Kaia Fansheir hold the only winning record for the Spartans, entering the weekend 7-5, with five wins coming in the third court and two in the fourth court.
• UC Davis is 8-1 all-time against San Jose State, beating the Spartans twice last season.
• California enters the weekend 14-7 after going 2-2 in the Death Valley Invitational at LSU two weeks ago.
• The top pair of Emma Donley and Portia Sherman serve as the number one threat for the No. 9 ranked team in the nation, going 18-2 on the year.
• UC Davis is 0-12 all-time against California, losing to the Bears in February's Battle of the Bay.

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, ranked No. 2 among public universities by the Wall Street Journal in the value of a college degree, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked top in the United States 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/.