Participating in his first polling of Big West women’s volleyball coaches, new UC Santa Barbara coach Michael Henchy saw his colleagues pick the Gauchos to finish third in the conference.
The Gauchos finished with 99 points in the voting of 12 coaches. They’re behind defending champion Cal Poly (121 points) and Long Beach State (109).
Cal Poly, which advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 last season, received 11 first-place votes, with conference newcomer Utah Valley collecting the remaining vote. Utah Valley, picked fourth in the poll, is one of three new programs in the Big West, joining Sacramento State and Cal Baptist. Hawai’i and UC Davis left for the Mountain West Conference.
UCSB finished fourth last season and earned a berth in the Big West Tournament. Sophomore outside hitter Gabi Martinez shined in her debut and earned Freshman of the Year honors. She’s been named to six-player Big West Coaches’ Preseason Team. The other selectees are Kendall Beshear, Emma Fredrick and Chloe LeLuge of Cal Poly, Molly McCluskey (UC San Diego), Victoria Marthaler (Sacramento State) and Madi Maxwell (Long Beach State).
UCSB sees its first action on Friday, Aug. 28 against Tarleton State at the Arizona Wildcat Classic in Tucson. The Gauchos’ first home match is on Thursday, Sept. 3 against Iowa State in their Gaucho Invitational.
2026 Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Cal Poly – 121 (11)
2. Long Beach State – 109
3. UC Santa Barbara – 99
4. Utah Valley – 84 (1)
5. Sacramento State – 80
T-6. CSUN / UC Irvine – 64
8. UC San Diego – 60
9. California Baptist – 35
10. UC Riverside – 34
11. Cal State Fullerton – 24
12. Cal State Bakersfield – 18
2026 Preseason Coaches Team
Kendall Beshear (Jr.) – Outside Hitter – Cal Poly
Emma Fredrick (Sr.) – Outside Hitter – Cal Poly
Chloe Leluge (Jr.) – Middle Blocker – Cal Poly
Molly McCluskey (Jr.) – Outside/Opposite Hitter – UC San Diego
Victoria Marthaler (Jr.) – Outside Hitter – Sacramento State
Gabi Martinez (So.) – Outside Hitter – UC Santa Barbara
Madi Maxwell (Jr.) – Setter – Long Beach State
