The Big West was the last conference to begin league action, as it kicked off play this past week. Some schools are still awaiting their first match in the new Big West, and there are not a ton of data points, but there are still some notable aspects to the early part of the league so far.
With new story-lines emerging and a new season of sorts in league play commencing, VolleyMob will be giving conference updates. Below is analysis as well as the weekly EIVA table, awards, matches of the week and power rankings:
BIG WEST TABLE:
| TEAM | CONF. | OVERALL |
| #10 UCSB | 1-0 | 5-5 |
| #2 Hawaii | 1-1 | 9-2 |
| #4 UC Irvine | 1-1 | 11-4 |
| #1 LBSU | 0-0 | 14-0 |
| #16 CSUN | 0-0 | 8-5 |
| (RV) UCSD | 0-1 | 8-7 |
WEEKLY HONORS:
- VolleyMob Player of the Week (Stijn Van Tilburg – Hawaii)
- VolleyMob Honorable Mention POTW (Aaron Koubi – UC Irvine)
- VolleyMob Honorable Mention POTW (Josh Tuaniga – LBSU)
MATCHES OF THE WEEK:
- Mar. 1: #10 UCSB at #19 USC
- Mar. 2: #1 LBSU at #16 CSUN
- Mar. 2: #12 Concordia Irvine at #2 Hawaii
- Mar. 4: #16 CSUN at #1 LBSU
- Mar. 4: #12 Concordia Irvine at #2 Hawaii
VOLLEYMOB BIG WEST POWER RANKINGS:
- LBSU
- Hawaii
- UC Irvine
- UCSB
- CSUN
- UCSD
CAN THEY BE STOPPED?
- #1 Long Beach State 49ers
The 49ers are the only undefeated team left in the entire country, and although they don’t sit atop the standings, it’s because they have not played yet. It’s safe to assume they are the league favorite, as they are the national favorite right now as well. With so much balance, a dynamic setter and strong serve reception, the 49ers have it all. Beyond the question of if someone can take them out in the league is if anyone can even down them once, as their two wins over then-second ranked UCLA showed there may be more of a gap than once thought.
ELITE AS WELL
- #2 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors & #4 UC Irvine Anteaters
Both of these teams are the top contenders for Long Beach State, and at the very least have great shots at making the NCAA Tournament as at-large bids. They even battled this past weekend and split the pair of matches in Honolulu. In the first, UC Irvine was a bit uncharacteristic in making some errors while Hawaii was fantastic on offense. The Rainbow Warriors offense continued in the second, but UC Irvine was back to playing a clean match and earned the victory. Only time will tell if these teams though can take out LBSU with teams that look ready for the challenge.
THE FIELD
- Everyone Else
The question arises to who can be the other team to challenge the top? Can anyone else usurp the big three right now, or at least cause chaos? It’s not just about if CSUN or UCSB can finish in the top three, but can they pull an upset over LBSU or Hawaii or UC Irvine here or there? If any were to reach up, it looks to be UC Santa Barbara, who has already been a giant killer of sorts and has knocked off BYU and Pepperdine. The issue has been consistency, as they sit at 5-5, but the potential is there. Meanwhile CSUN and UC San Diego have some star-level talent, but need to find more balance to make an impact on the league race.
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