DAVIS, Calif. — With the regular season wrapped up, UC Davis beach volleyball is set to begin the 2026 Big West Championships hosted by Cal Poly from Apr. 23-24. The Aggies begin the tournament on Thursday, Apr. 23 in bracket play against CSUN at 3:15 p.m. PT and the host No. 5 Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. PT.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW

Apr. 23  — vs. CSUN (@ 3:15 pm) | Live Stats | @ucdavisbvb (X/Instagram)

Apr. 23  — vs. No. 6 Cal Poly (@ 7:00 pm) | Live Stats | @ucdavisbvb (X/Instagram)


GAME NOTES

• Last Time Out: UC Davis finished the regular season 15-19 after a 1-3 record in the Aggie Classic last weekend. The team began the weekend with a 5-0 sweep over Sac State before dropping three close matchups to the Hornets and Santa Clara.
• 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: Finishing the regular season with a 19-15 record, the duo of Skye Smolinski and Kate O'Steen led the Aggies in total wins. Close behind them was Kirra Martin with 14 wins.
• 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

• CSUN enters the tournament with a 10-20 record, beating Cal State Bakersfield and sweeping Pacific on the last day of the regular season.
• The Matadors finished the year with three pairs that posted double-digit wins, including a team-leading 16 wins from their number threes Dylan Hall and Ava Rogers.
• UC Davis is 11-2 all-time against CSUN including a 4-1 record in Big West Championship matches. The Aggies played the Matadors twice during the regular season, winning 4-1 and 3-2.
• Cal Poly finished the regular season 26-8 and enters the postseason ranked No. 5 in the country. The Mustangs finished the year with a 5-0 sweep of No. 7 Cal last Saturday.
• With a 30-3 record in the second flight, the duo of Izzy Martinez and Logan Walter have been historic for their team, setting the record for most career pair wins this season with 60. The Mustangs also come with plenty of firepower in the first flight, with Ella Connor and Erin Inskeep combining for a 29-5 record on the year.
• UC Davis is 1-13 all-time against Cal Poly, losing in the Big West Challenge earlier this year.
• Following bracket play, the top six teams left in the tournament will move on to a single elimination tournament on Friday, Apr. 24. Depending on the outcome of tomorrow's matches, The Aggies will play at either 10:00 a.m., 11:15 a.m., or 1:45 p.m. PT on that date.

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/.