BeachBows Picked Third In Preseason Big West Poll

IRVINE, Calif. – The Big West released its first-ever preseason Beach Volleyball Poll as voted by the league coaches with the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine slotted in at third.

Cal Poly is the preseason favorite, receiving five of eight first-place votes. Defending Big West champion Long Beach State is the No. 2 pick and received the other two first-place votes. Hawai'i, UC Davis (4), CSUN (5), Cal State Bakersfield (6) and Sacramento State (7) rounded out the poll.

The teams will converge, March 20-22, for the three-day Big West Challenge in Long Beach, a round-robin prelude to the league championship in April. The Big West title will ultimately be settled at the 2026 tournament championship, hosted by Cal Poly, April 23-24, at the Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex in San Luis Obispo.

UH returns a dozen players from last year and welcomes seven newcomers who look to get the 'Bows to the top of the Big West for a fifth time and the first time since 2024.

The BeachBows open the season with the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic, Feb. 19-21, at world-famous Queen's Beach. The tournament will feature the best of the best in the country, including Cal, Stanford, Texas, UCLA, USC and 2025 NCAA runner-up Loyola Marymount. Tournament play starts at 8:30 a.m. each day with UH slated to face Texas at 1:30 pm and UCLA at 4:00 p.m. on the opening day Thursday, Feb. 19.

2026 Big West Beach Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Rank, Institution, Points (1st place votes)
1. Cal Poly 35 (5)
2. Long Beach State 32 (2)
3. Hawai'i 26
4. UC Davis 20
5. CSUN 15
6. Cal State Bakersfield 13
7. Sacramento State 6

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