'Eaters Kick off 2026 Season with Three Matches in Seattle

Friday, August 28

Seattle, Wash.

7:00 PM

UC Irvine

Washington

Action photo of Madison Triplett on a back row attack in UCI women's volleyball's exhibition match against Concordia

'Eaters Kick off 2026 Season with Three Matches in Seattle

August 27, 2026 | Women's Volleyball

UC Irvine (0-0) at
Washington (0-0)
Date: Friday, Aug. 28
Time: 7 p.m. (PDT)
Location: Alaska Airlines Arena (9,294) - Seattle, Wash.
Watch on B1G+ | Live Stats

UC Irvine (0-0) vs.
IU Indy (0-0)
Date: Saturday, Aug. 29
Time: 4 p.m. (PDT)
Location: Alaska Airlines Arena (9,294) - Seattle, Wash.
Live Stats

UC Irvine (0-0) vs.
San Diego State (0-0)
Date: Sunday, Aug. 30
Time: 12 p.m. (PDT)
Location: Alaska Airlines Arena (9,294) - Seattle, Wash.
Live Stats

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's volleyball officially starts the 2026 campaign at the University of Washington on Friday, Aug. 28. The Anteaters and Huskies are set to square off at 7 p.m. UCI will also face IU Indy on Saturday, Aug. 29 (4 p.m.) and San Diego State on Sunday, Aug. 30 (12 p.m.) in Seattle. All three matches will be played at Alaska Airlines Arena.

FIRST SERVE
• UCI hosted two exhibition matches over the last couple weeks. Against No. 20 USC (Aug. 15), freshman outside hitter Memphis Burnett finished with a match-high 11 kills on .345 hitting, and freshman libero Tata Vongfak had a team-best 12 digs. This past Saturday vs. Concordia University Irvine, Burnett once again led all players with 10 kills, while four 'Eaters reached double digits in digs. Junior outside hitter Madison Triplett paced the quartet with a match-high 11, and senior setter Nicole Feliciano added a double-double with 22 assists and 12 digs. Over the two matches, sophomore middle Abby Pekrul led UC Irvine with nine block assists.

• The 'Eaters welcome back 11 members from their 2025 squad that went 13-18 overall (8-10 Big West). Last year, UCI swept eventual Big West tournament champion and NCAA Regional participant Cal Poly, 3-0, in the regular-season finale. That victory clinched the Anteaters' spot in the six-team Big West Championship. They have made an appearance in the conference tournament every year since its inception in 2023.

• The Anteaters bring in a talented incoming class that was ranked 36th in the nation by Prep Dig. In the middle, freshmen Taylor Boice and Vani Tatoulian will be looking to make an immediate impact. Boice was a first-team all-league and all-area selection at Redondo Union High School. She also won two Open Division national championships with her club team, taking home gold in 2026 (18s) and 2024 (16s). Tatoulian was the 2025 CIF-Southern Section Division 4 Player of the Year and league MVP at La Cañada High School. Junior transfer Whitney Wallace and freshman Tata Vongfak are poised to fill the vacancy left by four-year starting libero and All-Big West selection Campbell Jensen. Outside hitters Kaia Ciszewski and Memphis Burnett also have the potential to contribute right away.

• UC Irvine has named three team captains in senior Nicole Feliciano, fifth-year Kendra MacDonald, and redshirt freshman Jessica Bates. Feliciano, a three-year starting setter enters the 2026 campaign ranked fifth in program history with 2,619 career assists. Bates, a 5-foot-11 setter/opposite, had two triple-doubles in seven matches played last year before her season was cut short due to an injury. MacDonald is also coming off a 2025 season-ending injury and hopes to be back on the court by conference.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Washington has seven returners from a 2025 squad that went 13-17 overall and 8-12 in the Big Ten. Sophomore outside hitter Simona Mateska leads the way after earning AVCA All-North Region honorable mention recognition last year. Mateska ranked among the top-three on the squad in both kills (2.96/set) and digs (2.17/set). Senior middle blocker Katy Wessels is also back after leading UW with 1.35 blocks per set.

IU Indy welcomes back 12 letterwinners from last year's team that went 18-14 overall and tied for third in the Horizon League with an 11-7 record. Senior Grace Purichia is the conference's reigning Setter of the Year, while she also received first-team all-league and AVCA All-Region honorable mention distinction in 2025. Purichia averaged 11.02 assists and 2.75 digs per set. Sophomore opposite Jillian Tippman led the Jaguars with 3.62 kills per set, and sophomore libero Laura Roeder was tops on the squad with 4.59 digs per set. Tippmann and Roeder were both All-Horizon League selections.

San Diego State, which is in its first year in the new Pac-12, is coming off a 15-16 season. The Aztecs return seven letterwinners from that squad, including All-Mountain West selection Zara Stewart. The sophomore libero averaged 3.70 digs per set in 2025.

SERIES RECORDS
UC Irvine has squared off against Washington twice, with both meetings coming in 1980. The Anteaters defeated the Huskies, 2-1, in San Diego, before falling by an identical score just over a month later at UCLA.

Saturday will be the first meeting between UCI and IU Indy.

The 'Eaters trail in their all-time series with San Diego State, 17-9. UC Irvine won the most recent meeting at SDSU, 3-2, on Sept. 7, 2016.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
UC Irvine was picked to finish in a tie for sixth with CSUN in the 2026 Big West Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Anteaters have placed sixth 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 finish atop the 12-team poll.

NEW LOOK
The Big West has a new look this year with the addition of California Baptist, Sacramento State, and Utah Valley, along with the departure of Hawai'i and UC Davis to the Mountain West. UVU is coming off its third NCAA appearance after winning the 2025 WAC Tournament.

DEFENSIVE STATE OF MIND
In 2025, UC Irvine was one of the top defensive teams in the Big West, ranking second in digs (15.14/set), third in opponent hitting percentage (.186), and fourth in blocks (2.37/set). Despite graduating a pair of conference leaders in Campbell Jensen at 4.59 digs/set and Sydnee Rowe at 1.20 blocks/set, defense should once again be a strength for the 'Eaters.

FOURTH YEAR, BEST YEAR
Fourth-year senior Nicole Feliciano has been a steady presence for the 'Eaters, playing in 88 of 91 matches during her time at UCI. She ranks fifth in program history with 2,619 career assists, and is the Anteaters' active career leader with 43 double-doubles. In her first season, Feliciano was named the 2023 Big West Freshman of the Year.

COMEBACK SEASON
UC Irvine is hoping 2026 will be the year of the comeback. Last season, the Anteaters lost starters Kendra MacDonald (OH) and Jessica Bates (S/OPP) to season-ending injuries early in the campaign. MacDonald was leading the team in kills when she was sidelined, while Bates had two triple-doubles in seven matches played. Outside hitter Brianna Brewer is also expected to make her long-awaited debut after missing 2024 and 2025 with injuries.

HOMEGROWN
All 17 players on UCI's roster are from California. Five also grew up locally in the Orange County area: Jessica Bates (San Clemente), Memphis Burnett (Ladera Ranch), Kaia Ciszewski (Irvine), Nicole Feliciano (Laguna Niguel), and Lois Hansen (Yorba Linda).

UP NEXT
UC Irvine will make its way to Fresno for the Bulldog Invitational next weekend. The Anteaters are slated to face New Mexico State (Sept. 3), Southern Utah (Sept. 4), and Fresno State (Sept. 5) in the three-day tournament.