DAVIS, Calif. — Starting the conference season 2-0 after a sweep of UNLV last weekend, UC Davis volleyball returns home for the first of two straight home weekends for a Mountain West weekend against Air Force on Oct. 1 & 3.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW
Oct. 1  — vs. Air Force | Watch on MW+ | Live Stats | @ucdaviswvb (X/Instagram)

Oct. 3  — vs. Air Force | Watch on MW+ | Live Stats | @ucdaviswvb (X/Instagram)


GAME NOTES

• Last Time Out: The Aggies are 6-7 on the year after sweeping a weekend series against UNLV last weekend. Brooke Hibino had a bounce back game with 18 kills to lead the Aggies. This statistical mark gives her double-digit kills for the eighth time this season. Ally Chandler was second on the team with 16 kills, reaching the mark while committing zero errors. It's the second time this season she's had zero errors and the fourth time she's hit over .500 in a match. For the second straight game and fifth time this year, Isabella Umpierre had a double-double with 12 kills and 15 digs. The fourth double-digit killer for Davis was Gianna Bogan, stepping up big with 10 kills. Mia Starr also had a double-double with 43 assists and 13 digs. Starr also went over 900 career digs today, putting her less than 100 digs from becoming the first player in program history with 3,000 assists and 1,000 digs. For the second straight contest, the Aggie defense at the net was strong, collecting 18 total blocks. Allie Caldwell led the way with six blocks.
• A Look Back On Non-Conference Play: The 2026 non-conference schedule may go down as one of the most challenging and rewarding for UC Davis volleyball in the team's 50+ year history, featuring three matches against top 25 teams and four tournaments. After pushing No. 11 SMU to five sets during the opening weekend of play, Davis then pulled off the biggest win in program history two weeks later, beating No. 7 Arizona State in four sets. These performances led to a number of awards for the Aggies, including two Mountain West defensive player of the week awards for Ximena Cordero Barr, and two freshman of the week honors for Isabella Umpierre, along with one offensive player of the week award.
• Umpierre Atop The Mountain West: Following an historical upset of then-No. 7 Arizona State, Aggie freshman Isabella Umpierre was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week and Co-Freshman of the Week on Sept. 14. This honor was given after Umpierre collected 40 total kills across three matches the previous weekend along with a career-high 19 digs against San Diego that powered her way to her second career double-double.
• 3,500 & 1,000: Serving as one of the captains for the Aggies throughout the last couple of seasons, Starr is quickly approaching one of the most unique statlines in program history, approaching 3,500 career assists and 1,000 career digs. Currently six assists away from 3,500 and 91 digs away from 1,000, she continues to prove to be one of the most unique and versatile players for the Aggies.
• The Road To 1,000 Digs: Breaking out for the Aggies as starting libero last season, Ximena Cordero Barr has taken the volleyball world by storm for her high level of play on the defensive side of the net. With 943 career digs entering the week, she sits at just under 100 digs from becoming just the 12th player in program history to reach 1,000 career digs.
• Climbing Up The All-Time List: As the team's primary setter her entire career, senior Mia Starr has been slowly climbing the all-time rankings for assists in a career. During the season opener against Colorado State, she became just the sixth player in program history to collect 3,000 career assists. Now up to 3,494 assists and third on the all-time list, she sits just under 100 assists from 3,550 to surpass Denise Bilbaeno for second on the list.
• Back-to-Back Awards: 39 digs across two home games last weekend gave Cordero Barr her second straight Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week award. Her play in the backcourt protected her team in two tough matchups. Against RV Cal Poly, she had 20+ digs for the first time this season with 22.
• One Week, Two Awards: Following their first week of competition in the Mountain West, the Aggies saw two of three conference weekly awards go their way, with Umpierre winning the Freshman of the Week and Ximena Cordero Barr grabbing the Defensive Player of the Week. Umpierre made a large impact in her first three collegiate games, totaling 33 kills and 20 digs, while Cordero Barr led the defense with 43 total digs.
• A 2025 To Remember: Entering the season in a new conference for the first time since 2008, the Aggies swan song in the Big West was one to remember during the 2025 season, posting a league-best 16 wins while winning the conference title for the first time ever. With the team success came a number of individual accolades as well, as the program took home four of five Big West yearly awards at season's end. These included All-American Jade Light becoming the Player of the Year, Mia Starr being named Setter of the Year, Ximena Cordero Barr earning Libero of the Year, and Dan Conners becoming the Coach of the Year.
• Preseason Nods: Ahead of the team's inaugural Mountain West season, the Aggies felt the love from their new conference after being picked to finish second in the annual preseason poll, garnering 80 points and four first place points. Davis was also the only team who had two selections in the conference preseason team, with Mia Starr and Ximena Cordero Barr landing on the list.
• Strength In Consistency: Despite the loss of All-American Jade Light to graduation, UC Davis returns much of their production from the last two seasons in 2026. In addition to Starr and Cordero Barr, all-conference players Ally Chandler and Brooke Hibino also return for their fourth season. 100+ blocker Allie Caldwell is also back along with 2023 Big West All-Freshman player Reese Diersbock, who makes her return after missing all of last season to injury. Rounding out this talented group of seniors is Breeze Czapinski, who ranked second in kills on the team last year.
• A Talented Group of Freshmen: With back-to-back hugely successful seasons under his belt, Conners has brought in arguably one of his best recruiting classes to the Aggies for the 2026 season, with six freshmen joining the team. Among the class includes Ana Stojanovic from Canada, who has competed internationally for her country in FIVB and Norceca over the last couple years, Jada Johnson, the No. 1 opposite from Oregon, and Isabella Umpierre, the No. 2 right side from Florida. 
• Jumping Up The Rankings: After consistently rising through the Division I RPI rankings last season, Davis ended the year as the 49th ranked team in the nation.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

• Air Force is also 6-7 on the season, getting a sweep of San Jose State to open conference play last weekend.
• Becoming the first Falcon since 2019 to earn an Offensive Player of the Week award, Grace Fiaseu earned the award after collecting 29 kills through two matches against the Spartans. 
• Fiaseu also played a complete weekend on the defensive end, having seven total blocks and seven digs in Saturday's San Jose State match.
• UC Davis is 6-0 all-time against Air Force, but haven't played the Falcons since 2011, where the Aggies got the 3-0 sweep at home.

SEASON NOTES

• 2026 marks year 13 for Aggies head coach Dan Conners. Last season, Conners made team history by passing Aggie Hall of Famer Kathy DeYoung with his 170 career win. He currently sits at 178 wins and counting.
• The staff now includes three new assistant coaches, all with a treasure trove of collegiate volleyball experience. Grace Doyle comes to Davis after five seasons as a player at Fresno State, where she led the team to the NCAA Tournament in 2023. Eric Beebe played as a setter for Long Beach State's men's team, competing in two NCAA Championship games. Rounding out the group is Greg Harasymowycz, who played three years at CSUN and has a long history of coaching for legendary UCLA head coach Al Scates, who Conners played for during his college career.
• The roster brings back a large number of contributors from last season, including Starr, Cordero Barr, Chandler, Caldwell, and Czapinski.
• Additionally, the coaching staff has brought in plenty of highly talented freshmen, including Stojanovic, Johnson, Umpierre, Gianna Bogan, Katelyn Sentous, and Khloe Wong.
• Following a record breaking 2025 season, Davis enters the Mountain West Conference in 2026 with the goal remaining to win another conference title and qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.

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/.