2009 Big West Women’s Volleyball
Aggies On Top
Last week UC Davis knocked off No. 23 UC Irvine, 3-1,
and downed UC Riverside, 3-0, to extend its win streak
to six and gain possession of first place in the Big West
Conference with just three weeks remaining in league play.
The six straight wins represents the longest streak for UC
Davis volleyball since earning seven consecutive victories
to open the 1999 season. UC Davis currently owns a 9-2
conference record, nearly double the amount of wins the
Aggies accumulated the past two seasons combined. In
just their third season competing at the DI level in the Big
West Conference, the Aggies (18-7 overall) are guaranteed
their first winning season. This week UC Davis faces
Cal State Fullerton and preseason favorite and defending
champion Long Beach State.
Looking Ahead For The Gauchos
Winning seven of the last eight matches has positioned
UC Santa Barbara in second place in the league standings
with an 8-3 record, well within striking distance of first
place UC Davis at 9-2. The Gauchos, eyeing their fifth Big
West Conference title, embark on a four-match road trip
which includes stop at UC Davis on Nov. 13. While posting
a near-perfect 9-1 record when playing at The Thunderdome,
UC Santa Barbara is 5-3 on the road this season.
The Gauchos begin their journey Tuesday, Nov. 3 with a
7:00 p.m. contest at Cal State Northridge.
Pacific’s Tomaszewska
Leading The Way
Natalia Tomaszewska continues to pace the Tigers’ squad
and the Big West Conference with an impressive .350 hitting
percentage. If the senior middle blocker continues to
occupy the top spot in the league for the remainder of the
year, she will become the first Pacific to lead the conference
since Jennifer Joines concluded the 2000 season
with a league-high .402 clip.
Titans Post First Road Victory
A sweep over Cal Poly on Halloween night gave Cal State
Fullerton its first road win of 2009. The Titans had dropped
seven straight road matches before picking up their first
victory last weekend. It also marked Cal Poly’s first home
loss against Cal State Fullerton in 20 matches. Cal State
Fullerton returns to Titan Gym for their final three home
contests before closing out the season on a four-match
road trip.
In The Polls
CP CSF LBSU UCI UCSB
Aug. 18 RV - 23 RV -
Aug. 30 - - RV 22 -
Sept. 7 - - RV 20 RV
Sept. 14 - - RV 18 RV
Sept. 21 - - 25 21 RV
Sept. 28 - - 22 24 RV
Oct. 5 - RV 20 23 RV
Oct. 12 - - 25 21 RV
Oct. 19 - - RV 19 RV
Oct. 26 - - RV 23 RV
Nov. 2 - - RV RV RV
Nov. 9
Nov. 16
Nov. 23
Nov. 30
Final
RV - Receiving Votes
America East . . . . . . . . . . 2-0
Atlantic Coast . 0-0
Atlantic10 . . . . . . . 2-1
Big East . . . . . . . . 3-1
Big Sky . . 9-3
Big South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-0
Big Ten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-0
Big 12 . . 0-4
Colonial Athletic . . . . . . . 3-0
Conference USA . 3-2
Horizon . . 1-0
Independents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-0
IVY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-0
Metro Atlantic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-0
Mid-American . . . 2-0
Mid-Eastern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-0
Missouri Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Mountain West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Northeast . . . . . . . . 0-0
Ohio Valley . . . 1-0
Pac-10 . . . . . 3-8
Patriot . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-1
Southeastern . . . . . . 1-2
Southern . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-0
Southland . 3-0
Southwestern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-0
Summit . . 0-0
Sun Belt . . . . 3-0
West Coast . 10-9
Western Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Non-Division I . 1-0
Reclassifying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Total . . 65-45
2
Cal Poly................................................................... 0-6
Cal State Fullerton................................................... 1-1
Cal State Northridge................................................ 0-2
Long Beach State.................................................... 1-3
UC Davis................................................................. 1-2
UC Irvine.................................................................. 2-2
UC Riverside........................................................... 0-3
UC Santa Barbara................................................... 4-1
Pacific...................................................................... 2-2
Total.....................................................................11-22
Big West Vs.
Nonconference Teams
Big West Vs.
Top 25 Teams
Around The Big West
Quick And To The Point
Long Beach State has seemed like a team on a mission
this season, sweeping a league-high 11 opponents this
season. Even more impressive, the last five 49er victories
have been by a score of 3-0. Also pulling out the broom
in recent weeks are the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, who
tallied scores of 3-0 in their last three wins.
Better Than 50-50
If the 2009 season were to end right now, there would be six
teams with an above .500 overall record - UC Santa Barbara
(.783), UC Irvine (.739), UC Davis (.720), Long Beach State
(.700), Pacific (.696) and Cal State Fullerton (.565). The last
time that happened was in 2004 when six teams registered
an above-.500 overall mark.
UC Irvine Slips In Polls After
Rocky Road Trip
For the first time all season, UC Irvine posted back-to-back
losses which knocked them out of the Top 25 for the first
time. Over Halloween weekend, the Anteaters fell to both
UC Davis, 3-1, and Pacific, 3-1. The last time the Anteaters
dropped two straight contests was October 2008 when they
struggled against Cal State Fullerton and Pacific. UC Irvine
looks to get back to its winning ways when it hosts Seattle in
a nonconference matchup Tuesday evening.
Struggles In San Luis Obispo
A year removed from back-to-back Big West championships,
Cal Poly finds themselves in eighth place in the
conference standings with a 2-10 conference mark. Part
of the reason for the struggles this year is the amount of
youth on the Mustangs squad. They lost four starters and
five letterwinners in the offseason and now feature a lineup
that consists primarily of underclassmen. In fact, four of Cal
Poly’s top-five hitters are freshmen. Although, the Mustangs
haven’t gone down without a fight. Five of the last seven
contest Cal Poly losses were determined in the fifth and final
set. The Mustangs look to snap a seven-match skid on Nov.
7 when they host UC Santa Barbara.
Big West On Twitter
The Big West Conference is excited to bring Big West Live to
Twitter, a Twitter feed designed to give fans an in-the-stands
view of select Big West Events. Bringing near-instantaneous
photos, commentary, and updates, Big West Live is the first
feed of its kind. Moving beyond the scores and stats, Big
West Live delivers the “color” of Big West events.
49ers Return To The Court As
Conference Favorite
The Long Beach State women’s volleyball team was selected
to win its second straight, 10th overall, Big West
Championship after receiving four first-place votes and 75
total points, according to the conference coaches in the annual
Big West women’s volleyball preseason coaches poll.
The 49ers, looking to secure a 23rd consecutive trip to the
NCAA Tournament in 2009, entered the season as defending
Big West champions after capturing their ninth title a
season ago with a 13-3 conference mark. Long Beach
State currently sits third in the league with a 7-3 mark.
as of Nov. 2, 2009
Ranking Pts. 2009 Record
1. Penn State 1490 24-0
2. Texas 1450 18-0
3. Hawaii 1378 20-2
4. Washington 1297 19-2
T5. Illinois 1174 18-3
T5. Stanford 1174 15-6
7. UCLA 1105 18-6
8. Iowa State 1079 19-3
9. Florida 1006 18-3
10. Nebraska 975 16-6
11. Kentucky 898 22-2
12. Minnesota 840 17-7
13. California 742 13-8
14. Oregon 729 15-5
15. Michigan 641 19-6
16. Florida State 599 21-2
17. USC 555 15-8
18. Arizona 510 16-6
19. LSU 393 18-5
20. Baylor 296 19-5
21. Saint Louis 229 17-6
22. San Diego 211 15-5
23. Texas A&M 139 14-6
24. Washington State 96 16-6
T25. Northern Iowa 82 22-2
T25. Saint Mary’s 82 16-4
Others receiving votes: UC Santa Barbara 63,
Notre Dame 55, UC Irvine 46, Dayton 35, Florida International
23, Colorado State 17, Oregon State 16,
Michigan State 15, Long Beach State 14, Ohio State
14, Tennessee 13, Duke 12, Pepperdine 7, Oklahoma
6.
(Records consist of their tenure in the Big West only -
sorted by conference wins)
Conf. Overall
Coach, School (Yrs.) W-L W-L
Brian Gimmilaro, LBSU (25) 328-90 669-160
Kathy Gregory, UCSB (26) 315-114 602-262
Jon Stevenson, CP (5) 51-21 87-52
Jeff Stork, CSUN (8) 50-73 93-130
Carolyn Zimmerman, CSF (8) 40-64 103-129
Jamie Holmes, UCD (2) 13-14 30-24
Paula Weishoff, UCI (1) 7-4 17-6
David Johnson PAC (1) 6-5 16-6
Ron Larsen, UCR (1) 2-9 4-17
1. Long Beach State..................................................75
2. UC Irvine...............................................................73
3. Cal Poly.................................................................62
4. Pacific....................................................................54
5. UC Santa Barbara.................................................48
6. Cal State Fullerton.................................................36
7. Cal State Northridge..............................................26
8. UC Davis ..............................................................16
9. UC Riverside.........................................................15
Preseason Coaches Poll
Big West
A Win For The Ages
Both Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State notched a
‘W’ against then-No. 7 UCLA at the Brea Embassy Suites
Fullerton Classic (Sept. 18-19), an impressive feat for
both teams. The Titans opened their home event with a
3-2 victory over the Bruins, marking their first win over a
ranked team in program history and the first over UCLA
in 14 matches dating back to 1980. With the momentum
carrying over from the following night, the 49ers swept the
Bruins for their first regular-season win over UCLA since
the last time the teams met in 1996.
Also registering its first win over a Top 10 program
this season is UC Irvine, who kicked off the 2009 with an
upset win over No. 6 California at the Nevada Marriott
Courtyard/Fairfield Invitational.
Crowning The Champion
Of the nine current members in the Big West, four of them
have captured at least one Big West title- Cal Poly, Long
Beach State, UC Santa Barbara and Pacific. Long Beach
State leads the quartet with nine conference championships,
followed by UC Santa Barbara and Pacific with five apiece.
The Mustangs round out the field with three titles.
UCSB’s Gregory Reaches
600-Win Milestone In Big West
Kathy Gregory, the only coach UC Santa Barbara has
known, eclipsed the 600-win milestone last weekend after
going 2-0. Since A Win For The Ages
Both Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State notched a
‘W’ against then-No. 7 UCLA at the Brea Embassy Suites
Fullerton Classic (Sept. 18-19), an impressive feat for
both teams. The Titans opened their home event with a
3-2 victory over the Bruins, marking their first win over a
ranked team in program history and the first over UCLA
in 14 matches dating back to 1980. With the momentum
carrying over from the following night, the 49ers swept the
Bruins for their first regular-season win over UCLA since
the last time the teams met in 1996.
Also registering its first win over a Top 10 program
this season is UC Irvine, who kicked off the 2009 with an
upset win over No. 6 California at the Nevada Marriott
Courtyard/Fairfield Invitational.
Crowning The Champion
Of the nine current members in the Big West, four of them
have captured at least one Big West title- Cal Poly, Long
Beach State, UC Santa Barbara and Pacific. Long Beach
State leads the quartet with nine conference championships,
followed by UC Santa Barbara and Pacific with five apiece.
The Mustangs round out the field with three titles.
UCSB’s Gregory Reaches
600-Win Milestone In Big West
Kathy Gregory, the only coach UC Santa Barbara has
known, eclipsed the 600-win milestone last weekend after
going 2-0. Since competing in the Big West Conference,
she has posted a 602-262 overall record. Gregory has
coached the Gauchos squad since 1975, but UC Santa
Barbara has only been a member of the Big West Conference
since 1984. The only other coach to reach the aforementioned
milestone is current Long Beach State head
coach Brian Gimmilaro, who currently has 669 wins.
Fullerton’s Zimmerman Captures
100th Career Win
Current head coach Carolyn Zimmerman, the all-time winningest
coach in Cal State Fullerton history, collected her
100th career win after the Titans swept Cal Poly Friday,
Oct. 2. The win also marked the first time Cal State Fullerton
defeated Cal Poly since 2004 and just the second time
in their last 24 meetings. Currently in her eighth year at the
helm of the Cal State Fullerton program, Zimmerman has
guided the Titans to a .500-or-better overall record four of
the last five seasons.
Trio Of Coaches Make Big West
Debut In 2009
UC Irvine, UC Riverside and Pacific all feature a new
face at the helm of their respective programs. Three-time
Olympian Paula Weishoff was named head coach of the
UC Irvine women’s volleyball program last December to
succeed Charlie Brande, who retired after nine seasons as
the Anteaters’ head coach. Weishoff served the past five
seasons as head coach at Concordia University, Irvine.
UC Riverside hired Ron Larsen as the second head
women’s volleyball coach in the program’s history. He
joins the Highlanders after four years as the top assistant
coach for the USA Men’s National Volleyball Team.
David Johnson was named interim head coach of the
Pacific women’s program after former head coach Charlie
Wade resigned from his position to take over Hawaii’s men’s
program. Johnson has spent the last seven seasons as an
assistant coach at Pacific. in the Big West Conference,she has posted a 602-262 overall record. Gregory has
coached the Gauchos squad since 1975, but UC Santa
Barbara has only been a member of the Big West Conference
since 1984. The only other coach to reach the aforementioned
milestone is current Long Beach State head
coach Brian Gimmilaro, who currently has 669 wins.
Fullerton’s Zimmerman Captures
100th Career Win
Current head coach Carolyn Zimmerman, the all-time winningest
coach in Cal State Fullerton history, collected her
100th career win after the Titans swept Cal Poly Friday,
Oct. 2. The win also marked the first time Cal State Fullerton
defeated Cal Poly since 2004 and just the second time
in their last 24 meetings. Currently in her eighth year at the
helm of the Cal State Fullerton program, Zimmerman has
guided the Titans to a .500-or-better overall record four of
the last five seasons.
Trio Of Coaches Make Big West
Debut In 2009
UC Irvine, UC Riverside and Pacific all feature a new
face at the helm of their respective programs. Three-time
Olympian Paula Weishoff was named head coach of the
UC Irvine women’s volleyball program last December to
succeed Charlie Brande, who retired after nine seasons as
the Anteaters’ head coach. Weishoff served the past five
seasons as head coach at Concordia University, Irvine.
UC Riverside hired Ron Larsen as the second head
women’s volleyball coach in the program’s history. He
joins the Highlanders after four years as the top assistant
coach for the USA Men’s National Volleyball Team.
David Johnson was named interim head coach of the
Pacific women’s program after former head coach Charlie
Wade resigned from his position to take over Hawaii’s men’s
program. Johnson has spent the last seven seasons as an
assistant coach at Pacific.
