California Baptist University
Cal Poly
WVB Preview: CBU Heads to Central Coast for a Pair of Big West Matches
10/15/2026 9:15:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University women's volleyball team will hit the road for its second road trip of the conference schedule as they face off against two of the favorites in the Big West, Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara.
The Lancers are still seeking their first win in conference action after a slow 0-6 start. The opponents were picked first and third, respectively, in the Big West preseason poll, and this will be the first of two matchups with these opponents for the Lancers this season.
On Friday night, the Lancers will face the Cal Poly Mustangs, who are coming off a historic season in which they made the NCAA tournament and knocked off BYU and USC en route to a Sweet 16 berth. The Mustangs are off to another terrific start this season, as they are the lone unbeaten team in Big West conference action at 6-0. The Mustangs have only dropped one set in conference play to CSUN and have impressive sweeps over Long Beach State and Sacramento State thus far. This will only be the second time the Lancers have faced Cal Poly after doing so for the first time last season in the Slo Classic. Cal Poly is one of the best offensive teams in the country, ranking 9th in hitting percentage and best in the conference in kills and assists per set.
The final matchup of the road trip will be in Santa Barbara as they face the UCSB Gauchos at the Thunderdome. The Gauchos began conference play 4-0 but have since dropped their last two matches against Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Lancers and Gauchos, and they will do so now as conference opponents.
CBU will continue to rely on its blocking game to fuel its scoring, as it remains one of the best in the NCAA in that department. The Lancers are second in the Big West in total blocks and blocks per set, and rank 25th and 44th in those categories nationally. The Lancers have four players with at least 30 blocks, led by Bella Breuer and Eleftheria Baxa, who have 47 and 43, respectively. Filippa Botcher leads the team in blocks per set at 1.09 and is one of three Lancers to average over a block per set this season.
MATCHUP INFO
CBU at Cal Poly:
DATE/TIME: Thursday, October 16 @6PM
LOCATION: San Luis Obispo, CA- Mott Athletics Center
WATCH: ESPN+
CBU at UCSB:
DATE/TIME: Saturday, October 17 @6PM
LOCATION: Santa Barbara, CA- The Thunderdome
WATCH: ESPN+
