Friday, October 30
Irvine, Calif.
6:00 PM
UC Irvine
vs
Cal Poly
Photo by: Jacob Thompson
October 28, 2026 | Women's Volleyball
Cal Poly (14-6, 10-0 Big West) at
UC Irvine (9-12, 7-3 Big West)
Date:Â Friday, Oct. 30
Time:Â 6Â p.m. (PDT)
Location:Â Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
UC Santa Barbara (10-11, 6-4 Big West) at
UC Irvine (9-12, 7-3 Big West)
Date:Â Saturday, Oct. 31
Time:Â 5 p.m. (PDT)
Location:Â Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
IRVINE, Calif. -Â UC Irvine women's volleyball is at the Bren Events Center for two matches this weekend, starting with a 6 p.m. showdown against league-leading Cal Poly on Friday, Oct. 30. It will be the Anteaters' Breast Cancer Awareness game. UCI returns to the court on Saturday, Oct. 31, to take on UC Santa Barbara at 5 p.m.
FIRST SERVE
• The 'Eaters split their home-and-home series with UC San Diego, Oct. 23-24. They defeated the Tritons, 3-2, in a reverse sweep on the road before dropping a 3-1 decision at the Bren Events Center. In Friday's win, senior Nicole Feliciano recorded her first career triple-double with 14 kills, 22 assists, and 17 digs. She continued to fill the stat sheet the next day with a match-high 26 assists, 16 digs, eight kills, seven blocks, and a career-best four aces. Freshman Vani Tatoulian also had a career-high 12 kills on .611 hitting, while adding nine blocks on Saturday. UC Irvine enters the week third in the Big West standings, sitting one game back of second-place Long Beach State.
• Setter and tri-captain Nicole Feliciano reached a couple of milestones in the last two weeks as she joined the 1,000 career dig club at Bakersfield on Oct. 16, before surpassing 3,000 career assists against UCSD last Saturday. She now has 3,004 assists and 1,046 digs in her three-plus seasons. Feliciano and head coach Ashlie Hain are the only two Anteaters in program history to record over 3K assists and 1K digs in their UCI careers. Hain, who played from 2001-04, is the school record holder with 5,698 assists and ranks eighth among UC Irvine's all-time leaders with 1,175 career digs. Feliciano sits at No. 4 in assists and is tied for 10th in digs.
• Junior libero Whitney Wallace leads the Big West with 361 digs (4.40/set). Wallace has recorded 10+ digs in 18 consecutive matches and has nine 20+ dig performances. She is a two-time Big West Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 21, Oct. 5).
• First-year middle Taylor Boice, a two-time Big West Rookie of the Week, is tops on the squad in kills (198), blocks (87), and hitting percentage (.291).
• UCI ranks first in the 12-member Big West with 15.20 digs per set. The 'Eaters are also third in opponent hitting percentage, holding their adversaries to .179, and are fourth in blocks (2.37/set).
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Cal Poly (14-6, 10-0 Big West) remained undefeated in Big West play after sweeping UC Santa Barbara twice last week. The Mustangs are first in the conference standings with a two-game lead. Senior outside hitter Emma Fredrick is tops on the squad with 3.76 kills and 2.00 digs per set. Junior setter Alexis Haury has also guided Cal Poly to a .293 team hitting percentage with a Big West-leading 10.08 assists per set.
UC Santa Barbara (10-11, 6-4 Big West) is tied for third in the Big West after dropping both games to Cal Poly in a home-and-home series last week. Sophomore outside hitter Gabi Martinez has paced the Gauchos' offense with 3.86 kills per set, while senior libero Cortni Youngblood owns a team-best 3.38 digs per set.
SERIES RECORDS
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with Cal Poly, 55-27. Last year, the Anteaters swept the Mustangs in the regular-season finale on Nov. 22, 2025, to clinch a spot in the Big West Championship. It also avenged their 3-0 loss in San Luis Obispo one month earlier.
UCI trails in its all-time series with UC Santa Barbara, 81-18. The Gauchos swept the regular-season series last year, winning 3-1 at home and 3-2 in Irvine.
LEAVING A LEGACY
Senior Nicole Feliciano is a fourth-year starter who is leaving her mark at UC Irvine. One week after joining the 1,000-dig club, the 5-foot-10 setter reached another big milestone, surpassing 3,000 career assists in last Saturday's match vs. UC San Diego. Feliciano now ranks fourth in school history in assists (3,004) and is tied for 10th in digs (1,046). She joined head coach Ashlie Hain as the only two players in program history with more than 3K assists and 1K digs. Feliciano, who has played in 108 of 112 matches during her time at UCI, also has 51 double-doubles and recorded her first career triple-double with 14 kills, 22 assists, and 17 digs at UCSD (Oct. 23). She was the 2023 Big West Freshman of the Year.
JUST GETTING STARTED
Freshman Taylor Boice earned her second Big West Rookie of the Week award on Oct. 19. She was recognized for her performance at CSUN where she had 12 kills on .588 hitting, while also racking up a career-high nine blocks. The 6-foot-1 middle previously received the honor on Oct. 5 when she also registered 12 kills in a win at UC Riverside. Boice has a team-leading 11 double-figure kill performances with a season-best 18 vs. New Mexico State on Sept. 3. She has started every match and is tops on the squad with 198 kills (2.39/set), 87 blocks (1.05/set), and a .291 hitting percentage.
HANG TEN
Middles Abby Pekrul and Vani Tatoulian both set a career high of 10 blocks earlier this season to tie for 15th in single-match school history. Tatoulian racked up 10 total blocks (9 block assists, 1 solo) against San José State on Sept. 13. Two weeks later, Pekrul put up 10 block assists in a 3-1 win over Cal State Fullerton. Over the last two weeks, the duo also reached double digits in kills for the first time in their careers. Pekrul had 10 at Bakersfield (Oct. 16), before topping that performance with 14 on .591 hitting at CSUN (Oct. 17). Tatoulian followed with 12 kills and a season-best .611 clip vs. UCSD on Oct. 24.
DIGS LEADER
Whitney Wallace leads the Big West with 4.40 digs per set and has been even better in conference play where she is averaging a league-best 5.00 digs/set. She has reached double digits in 18 consecutive matches with nine of those being 20+ dig efforts. During that stretch, the 5-foot-9 libero recorded a career-high 30 digs vs. San José State (Sept. 13). Wallace, a junior transfer from Oklahoma, is a two-time Big West Defensive Player of the Week, earning the recognition on Sept. 21 and again on Oct. 5.
UP NEXT
UC Irvine is on the road next week, traveling to Sacramento State (Nov. 5) and Utah Valley (Nov. 7).
UC Irvine (9-12, 7-3 Big West)
Date:Â Friday, Oct. 30
Time:Â 6Â p.m. (PDT)
Location:Â Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
UC Santa Barbara (10-11, 6-4 Big West) at
UC Irvine (9-12, 7-3 Big West)
Date:Â Saturday, Oct. 31
Time:Â 5 p.m. (PDT)
Location:Â Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
IRVINE, Calif. -Â UC Irvine women's volleyball is at the Bren Events Center for two matches this weekend, starting with a 6 p.m. showdown against league-leading Cal Poly on Friday, Oct. 30. It will be the Anteaters' Breast Cancer Awareness game. UCI returns to the court on Saturday, Oct. 31, to take on UC Santa Barbara at 5 p.m.
FIRST SERVE
• The 'Eaters split their home-and-home series with UC San Diego, Oct. 23-24. They defeated the Tritons, 3-2, in a reverse sweep on the road before dropping a 3-1 decision at the Bren Events Center. In Friday's win, senior Nicole Feliciano recorded her first career triple-double with 14 kills, 22 assists, and 17 digs. She continued to fill the stat sheet the next day with a match-high 26 assists, 16 digs, eight kills, seven blocks, and a career-best four aces. Freshman Vani Tatoulian also had a career-high 12 kills on .611 hitting, while adding nine blocks on Saturday. UC Irvine enters the week third in the Big West standings, sitting one game back of second-place Long Beach State.
• Setter and tri-captain Nicole Feliciano reached a couple of milestones in the last two weeks as she joined the 1,000 career dig club at Bakersfield on Oct. 16, before surpassing 3,000 career assists against UCSD last Saturday. She now has 3,004 assists and 1,046 digs in her three-plus seasons. Feliciano and head coach Ashlie Hain are the only two Anteaters in program history to record over 3K assists and 1K digs in their UCI careers. Hain, who played from 2001-04, is the school record holder with 5,698 assists and ranks eighth among UC Irvine's all-time leaders with 1,175 career digs. Feliciano sits at No. 4 in assists and is tied for 10th in digs.
• Junior libero Whitney Wallace leads the Big West with 361 digs (4.40/set). Wallace has recorded 10+ digs in 18 consecutive matches and has nine 20+ dig performances. She is a two-time Big West Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 21, Oct. 5).
• First-year middle Taylor Boice, a two-time Big West Rookie of the Week, is tops on the squad in kills (198), blocks (87), and hitting percentage (.291).
• UCI ranks first in the 12-member Big West with 15.20 digs per set. The 'Eaters are also third in opponent hitting percentage, holding their adversaries to .179, and are fourth in blocks (2.37/set).
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Cal Poly (14-6, 10-0 Big West) remained undefeated in Big West play after sweeping UC Santa Barbara twice last week. The Mustangs are first in the conference standings with a two-game lead. Senior outside hitter Emma Fredrick is tops on the squad with 3.76 kills and 2.00 digs per set. Junior setter Alexis Haury has also guided Cal Poly to a .293 team hitting percentage with a Big West-leading 10.08 assists per set.
UC Santa Barbara (10-11, 6-4 Big West) is tied for third in the Big West after dropping both games to Cal Poly in a home-and-home series last week. Sophomore outside hitter Gabi Martinez has paced the Gauchos' offense with 3.86 kills per set, while senior libero Cortni Youngblood owns a team-best 3.38 digs per set.
SERIES RECORDS
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with Cal Poly, 55-27. Last year, the Anteaters swept the Mustangs in the regular-season finale on Nov. 22, 2025, to clinch a spot in the Big West Championship. It also avenged their 3-0 loss in San Luis Obispo one month earlier.
UCI trails in its all-time series with UC Santa Barbara, 81-18. The Gauchos swept the regular-season series last year, winning 3-1 at home and 3-2 in Irvine.
LEAVING A LEGACY
Senior Nicole Feliciano is a fourth-year starter who is leaving her mark at UC Irvine. One week after joining the 1,000-dig club, the 5-foot-10 setter reached another big milestone, surpassing 3,000 career assists in last Saturday's match vs. UC San Diego. Feliciano now ranks fourth in school history in assists (3,004) and is tied for 10th in digs (1,046). She joined head coach Ashlie Hain as the only two players in program history with more than 3K assists and 1K digs. Feliciano, who has played in 108 of 112 matches during her time at UCI, also has 51 double-doubles and recorded her first career triple-double with 14 kills, 22 assists, and 17 digs at UCSD (Oct. 23). She was the 2023 Big West Freshman of the Year.
JUST GETTING STARTED
Freshman Taylor Boice earned her second Big West Rookie of the Week award on Oct. 19. She was recognized for her performance at CSUN where she had 12 kills on .588 hitting, while also racking up a career-high nine blocks. The 6-foot-1 middle previously received the honor on Oct. 5 when she also registered 12 kills in a win at UC Riverside. Boice has a team-leading 11 double-figure kill performances with a season-best 18 vs. New Mexico State on Sept. 3. She has started every match and is tops on the squad with 198 kills (2.39/set), 87 blocks (1.05/set), and a .291 hitting percentage.
HANG TEN
Middles Abby Pekrul and Vani Tatoulian both set a career high of 10 blocks earlier this season to tie for 15th in single-match school history. Tatoulian racked up 10 total blocks (9 block assists, 1 solo) against San José State on Sept. 13. Two weeks later, Pekrul put up 10 block assists in a 3-1 win over Cal State Fullerton. Over the last two weeks, the duo also reached double digits in kills for the first time in their careers. Pekrul had 10 at Bakersfield (Oct. 16), before topping that performance with 14 on .591 hitting at CSUN (Oct. 17). Tatoulian followed with 12 kills and a season-best .611 clip vs. UCSD on Oct. 24.
DIGS LEADER
Whitney Wallace leads the Big West with 4.40 digs per set and has been even better in conference play where she is averaging a league-best 5.00 digs/set. She has reached double digits in 18 consecutive matches with nine of those being 20+ dig efforts. During that stretch, the 5-foot-9 libero recorded a career-high 30 digs vs. San José State (Sept. 13). Wallace, a junior transfer from Oklahoma, is a two-time Big West Defensive Player of the Week, earning the recognition on Sept. 21 and again on Oct. 5.
UP NEXT
UC Irvine is on the road next week, traveling to Sacramento State (Nov. 5) and Utah Valley (Nov. 7).
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
S/OPP
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MB
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L/DS
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