Friday, October 9
Irvine, Calif.
6:00 PM
UC Irvine
vs
Utah Valley
Women's Volleyball Set to Host Utah Valley, Sac State
October 07, 2026 | Women's Volleyball
Utah Valley (4-12, 2-2 Big West) at
UC Irvine (5-10, 3-1 Big West)
Date:Â Friday, Oct. 9
Time:Â 6 p.m. (PDT)
Location:Â Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
Sacramento State (7-8, 2-2 Big West) at
UC Irvine (5-10, 3-1 Big West)
Date:Â Saturday, Oct. 10
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 welcomes two of the newest members of the Big West to the Bren Events Center this weekend. The Anteaters are set to host Utah Valley at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, before entertaining Sacramento State in a 5 p.m. showdown on Saturday, Oct. 10.
FIRST SERVE
• UCI picked up two road wins last weekend, taking down UC Riverside, 3-1, and California Baptist, 3-2, in a reverse sweep. Junior opposite Ava Gronemeyer made an impact in her first two starts of the season as she finished with 10 kills at UCR and a career-high 15 at CBU. Senior outside hitter Kendra MacDonald also provided a spark off the bench in her season debut. MacDonald, who is coming back from a 2025 season-ending injury, had seven kills against the Lancers. The 'Eaters extended their win streak to a season-long three matches and are currently tied for second in the Big West standings with a 3-1 record.Â
• Junior libero Whitney Wallace collected her second Big West Defensive Player of the Week award this season, while freshman Taylor Boice was named the Big West Rookie of the Week. Wallace led all players with 17 digs against the Highlanders and 24 vs. CBU. She has recorded 10+ digs in 12 consecutive matches. Boice, who averaged 2.11 kills and 0.78 blocks per set in the two wins last week, had a match-high 12 kills at UCR.
• UC Irvine has a young team with nearly half of the roster comprised of true (5) and redshirt (3) freshmen. Six of the eight have started at least five matches. First-year middle Taylor Boice leads the freshman crew as she has started every match and is tops on the squad in kills (2.44/set), blocks (0.93/set), and hitting percentage (.290).Â
• Four-year starter and tri-captain Nicole Feliciano has done it all for the 'Eaters. The 5-foot-10 setter is averaging 4.72 assists, 2.38 digs, and 1.30 kills per set in a 6-2 system. She has six double-doubles on the year and 49 in her career. Feliciano tied her career high with 11 kills (.450) at UCR last Friday, then came back the next day to dish out a season-best 29 assists at California Baptist.
• UCI ranks first in the 12-member Big West with 14.75 digs per set. The Anteaters are also third in opponent hitting percentage (.177) and fifth in blocks (2.16/set). Individually, Whitney Wallace is second in the conference with 4.14 digs/set.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Utah Valley (4-12, 2-2 Big West) fell to league-leading UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly last week. Sophomore outside hitter Miley Thunstrom leads UVU with 2.58 kills per set, while senior libero Lani Toutai is tops in the Big West with 4.29 digs per set. Last year, the Wolverines won the WAC Championship to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
Sacramento State (7-8, 2-2 Big West) also came up short against Big West co-leaders Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara last week. Junior outside hitter Victoria Marthaler is tops on the squad with 3.90 kills per set, while junior setter Makenna Wiepert has directed the offense to .239 hitting with 8.75 assists per set. Marthaler and Wiepert rank second in the conference in kills and assists, respectively.
SERIES RECORDS
UC Irvine has squared off against Utah Valley just once in program history. That meeting came 13 years ago in Orem, Utah, with the Anteaters taking the 3-1 victory.
UCI trails in its all-time series with Sacramento State, 3-1, but won the most recent meeting in straight sets on Nov. 28, 2017, in Stockton, California. The Hornets' three wins all came in the 1990s.
WALLACE NAMED DEFENSIVE POW
Whitney Wallace was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season after finishing with match-highs of 17 digs at UC Riverside and 24 at California Baptist. She extended her double-digit dig streak to 12-straight outings with six of those being 20+ dig efforts. During that stretch, the 5-foot-9 libero recorded a career-high 30 digs against San José State (Sept. 13). Wallace earned her first career weekly honor on Sept. 21 following a 1-1 week at The Rebel Challenge that was highlighted by a 25-dig performance against tournament host UNLV. Wallace, a junior transfer from Oklahoma, has settled in as the Anteaters' starting libero with a team-leading 240 digs. Her 4.14 digs per set rank second in the Big West, while her 4.94 average in conference play leads the league.
JUST GETTING STARTED
Freshman Taylor Boice earned her first career Big West Rookie of the Week honor on Oct. 5. She was recognized after helping the 'Eaters to a pair of wins in Riverside as she put down a match-high 12 kills at UCR before tallying seven kills and three blocks at CBU. The 6-foot-1 middle has eight 10+ kill matches on the year, including a season-high 18 vs. New Mexico State. She has started every match and is tops on the squad in kills (2.44/set), blocks (0.93/set), and hitting percentage (.290).
STEADY AS THEY COME
Senior Nicole Feliciano is a fourth-year starter who has played in 102 of 106 matches during her time at UC Irvine. The 5-foot-10 setter ranks fifth in program history with 2,869 career assists, sitting 116 back of Teri Zartman in fourth. Feliciano is also the Anteaters' active leader with 49 double-doubles. Last weekend, she dished out a season-best 29 assists at California Baptist and tied her career high with 11 kills at UC Riverside. Feliciano was the 2023 Big West Freshman of the Year.
HANG TEN
Freshman Vani Tatoulian and sophomore Abby Pekrul have both recorded 10 blocks in a match this season. Tatoulian was the first 'Eater to reach double digits since Ofure Iselen on Oct. 5, 2024, when she had 10 total blocks (9 block assists, 1 solo) against San José State on Sept. 13. Two weeks later, Pekrul racked up a career-high 10 block assists in a 3-1 win over Cal State Fullerton.
TRIP'S TURN
Junior Madison Triplett has started every match and ranks second on the team with 2.29 kills per set. From Sept. 13-26, Triplett had four of her five 10+ kill matches. The stretch started with a season-best 17 vs. San José State.
IMPACT FRESHMEN
Redshirt freshman Brianna Brewer, who missed the 2025 season with an injury, and true freshman Memphis Burnett have combined for several impressive performances on the left side. In her first career match, Brewer put down 11 kills vs. New Mexico State before finishing with a team and season-high 13 at Fresno State. Burnett had a season-best 10 kills on .318 hitting against LMU on Sept. 11, and notched a season-high 11 digs and six blocks vs. Cal State Fullerton (Sept. 26).Â
COMEBACK SEASON
Last season, the Anteaters lost starters Kendra MacDonald (OH) and Jessica Bates (S/OPP) to season-ending injuries early in the campaign. MacDonald made her 2026 season debut last weekend, while Bates has started 10 of 21 matches played this year. The 5-foot-11 setter/right side tallied a career-high 24 assists and 21 digs to go along with nine kills vs. Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 18.Â
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
UC Irvine was picked to tie for sixth in the 2026 Big West Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Anteaters' placing mirrored where they have finished in the regular-season standings in each of the last three years. Defending Big West champion and NCAA Regional finalist Cal Poly received 11 first-place votes and 121 points to sit atop the 12-team poll. This week's opponents, UVU and Sac State, were picked fourth and fifth, respectively.
UP NEXT
UCI will make its way to Cal State Bakersfield (Oct. 16) and CSUN (Oct. 17) next week.
UC Irvine (5-10, 3-1 Big West)
Date:Â Friday, Oct. 9
Time:Â 6 p.m. (PDT)
Location:Â Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
Sacramento State (7-8, 2-2 Big West) at
UC Irvine (5-10, 3-1 Big West)
Date:Â Saturday, Oct. 10
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 welcomes two of the newest members of the Big West to the Bren Events Center this weekend. The Anteaters are set to host Utah Valley at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, before entertaining Sacramento State in a 5 p.m. showdown on Saturday, Oct. 10.
FIRST SERVE
• UCI picked up two road wins last weekend, taking down UC Riverside, 3-1, and California Baptist, 3-2, in a reverse sweep. Junior opposite Ava Gronemeyer made an impact in her first two starts of the season as she finished with 10 kills at UCR and a career-high 15 at CBU. Senior outside hitter Kendra MacDonald also provided a spark off the bench in her season debut. MacDonald, who is coming back from a 2025 season-ending injury, had seven kills against the Lancers. The 'Eaters extended their win streak to a season-long three matches and are currently tied for second in the Big West standings with a 3-1 record.Â
• Junior libero Whitney Wallace collected her second Big West Defensive Player of the Week award this season, while freshman Taylor Boice was named the Big West Rookie of the Week. Wallace led all players with 17 digs against the Highlanders and 24 vs. CBU. She has recorded 10+ digs in 12 consecutive matches. Boice, who averaged 2.11 kills and 0.78 blocks per set in the two wins last week, had a match-high 12 kills at UCR.
• UC Irvine has a young team with nearly half of the roster comprised of true (5) and redshirt (3) freshmen. Six of the eight have started at least five matches. First-year middle Taylor Boice leads the freshman crew as she has started every match and is tops on the squad in kills (2.44/set), blocks (0.93/set), and hitting percentage (.290).Â
• Four-year starter and tri-captain Nicole Feliciano has done it all for the 'Eaters. The 5-foot-10 setter is averaging 4.72 assists, 2.38 digs, and 1.30 kills per set in a 6-2 system. She has six double-doubles on the year and 49 in her career. Feliciano tied her career high with 11 kills (.450) at UCR last Friday, then came back the next day to dish out a season-best 29 assists at California Baptist.
• UCI ranks first in the 12-member Big West with 14.75 digs per set. The Anteaters are also third in opponent hitting percentage (.177) and fifth in blocks (2.16/set). Individually, Whitney Wallace is second in the conference with 4.14 digs/set.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Utah Valley (4-12, 2-2 Big West) fell to league-leading UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly last week. Sophomore outside hitter Miley Thunstrom leads UVU with 2.58 kills per set, while senior libero Lani Toutai is tops in the Big West with 4.29 digs per set. Last year, the Wolverines won the WAC Championship to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
Sacramento State (7-8, 2-2 Big West) also came up short against Big West co-leaders Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara last week. Junior outside hitter Victoria Marthaler is tops on the squad with 3.90 kills per set, while junior setter Makenna Wiepert has directed the offense to .239 hitting with 8.75 assists per set. Marthaler and Wiepert rank second in the conference in kills and assists, respectively.
SERIES RECORDS
UC Irvine has squared off against Utah Valley just once in program history. That meeting came 13 years ago in Orem, Utah, with the Anteaters taking the 3-1 victory.
UCI trails in its all-time series with Sacramento State, 3-1, but won the most recent meeting in straight sets on Nov. 28, 2017, in Stockton, California. The Hornets' three wins all came in the 1990s.
WALLACE NAMED DEFENSIVE POW
Whitney Wallace was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season after finishing with match-highs of 17 digs at UC Riverside and 24 at California Baptist. She extended her double-digit dig streak to 12-straight outings with six of those being 20+ dig efforts. During that stretch, the 5-foot-9 libero recorded a career-high 30 digs against San José State (Sept. 13). Wallace earned her first career weekly honor on Sept. 21 following a 1-1 week at The Rebel Challenge that was highlighted by a 25-dig performance against tournament host UNLV. Wallace, a junior transfer from Oklahoma, has settled in as the Anteaters' starting libero with a team-leading 240 digs. Her 4.14 digs per set rank second in the Big West, while her 4.94 average in conference play leads the league.
JUST GETTING STARTED
Freshman Taylor Boice earned her first career Big West Rookie of the Week honor on Oct. 5. She was recognized after helping the 'Eaters to a pair of wins in Riverside as she put down a match-high 12 kills at UCR before tallying seven kills and three blocks at CBU. The 6-foot-1 middle has eight 10+ kill matches on the year, including a season-high 18 vs. New Mexico State. She has started every match and is tops on the squad in kills (2.44/set), blocks (0.93/set), and hitting percentage (.290).
STEADY AS THEY COME
Senior Nicole Feliciano is a fourth-year starter who has played in 102 of 106 matches during her time at UC Irvine. The 5-foot-10 setter ranks fifth in program history with 2,869 career assists, sitting 116 back of Teri Zartman in fourth. Feliciano is also the Anteaters' active leader with 49 double-doubles. Last weekend, she dished out a season-best 29 assists at California Baptist and tied her career high with 11 kills at UC Riverside. Feliciano was the 2023 Big West Freshman of the Year.
HANG TEN
Freshman Vani Tatoulian and sophomore Abby Pekrul have both recorded 10 blocks in a match this season. Tatoulian was the first 'Eater to reach double digits since Ofure Iselen on Oct. 5, 2024, when she had 10 total blocks (9 block assists, 1 solo) against San José State on Sept. 13. Two weeks later, Pekrul racked up a career-high 10 block assists in a 3-1 win over Cal State Fullerton.
TRIP'S TURN
Junior Madison Triplett has started every match and ranks second on the team with 2.29 kills per set. From Sept. 13-26, Triplett had four of her five 10+ kill matches. The stretch started with a season-best 17 vs. San José State.
IMPACT FRESHMEN
Redshirt freshman Brianna Brewer, who missed the 2025 season with an injury, and true freshman Memphis Burnett have combined for several impressive performances on the left side. In her first career match, Brewer put down 11 kills vs. New Mexico State before finishing with a team and season-high 13 at Fresno State. Burnett had a season-best 10 kills on .318 hitting against LMU on Sept. 11, and notched a season-high 11 digs and six blocks vs. Cal State Fullerton (Sept. 26).Â
COMEBACK SEASON
Last season, the Anteaters lost starters Kendra MacDonald (OH) and Jessica Bates (S/OPP) to season-ending injuries early in the campaign. MacDonald made her 2026 season debut last weekend, while Bates has started 10 of 21 matches played this year. The 5-foot-11 setter/right side tallied a career-high 24 assists and 21 digs to go along with nine kills vs. Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 18.Â
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
UC Irvine was picked to tie for sixth in the 2026 Big West Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Anteaters' placing mirrored where they have finished in the regular-season standings in each of the last three years. Defending Big West champion and NCAA Regional finalist Cal Poly received 11 first-place votes and 121 points to sit atop the 12-team poll. This week's opponents, UVU and Sac State, were picked fourth and fifth, respectively.
UP NEXT
UCI will make its way to Cal State Bakersfield (Oct. 16) and CSUN (Oct. 17) next week.
Players Mentioned
S/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's VolleyballFriday, August 28
Wednesday, August 26
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