IRVINE, Calif. – The Big West released its 2026 Men’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll and Team, and defending Big West regular season and National Champion Long Beach State was selected as the preseason favorite. The Beach garnered 24 total points and four first-place votes from league head coaches, signaling strong expectations for another elite season.

Long Beach State’s status as a national powerhouse was further reinforced in the 2026 AVCA National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Preseason Poll (Dec. 23), where the Beach were ranked No. 3 nationally behind UCLA and Hawai’i.

The Beach also placed multiple student-athletes on the 2026 Big West Preseason Coaches’ Team, as Skyler Varga and Alex Kandev earned preseason recognition following standout performances during Long Beach State’s championship 2025 season.

Varga returns as one of the nation’s premier attackers. During the 2025 season he played a central role in Long Beach State’s run to the NCAA National Championship, earning NCAA All-Tournament Team honors for his performance in the title match. He finished the year with 270 kills (2.73 per set) on a .368 attack percentage, while adding 33 service aces, 70 total blocks, and 341 points across 99 sets. In addition to his on-court excellence, Varga also received CSC Academic All-America recognition, underscoring his impact as a scholar-athlete.

Kandev, now a sophomore outside hitter, made his mark on the national stage during the 2025 NCAA Championship match. In the title match victory over UCLA, Kandev helped the Beach secure their fourth national title and earned NCAA All-Tournament Team honors in the process. He concluded his freshman season with 210 kills (3.23 per set) while hitting .458, ranking among the team leaders in efficiency, and added 21 aces, 36 blocks, and 250 points in 65 sets.

Following Long Beach State atop the Big West preseason poll, Hawai’i was chosen second with 22 points and two first-place votes, and UC Irvine was tabbed third with 17 points. CSUN, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara rounded out the poll, each earning nine points.

With proven postseason performers and returning national contenders, Long Beach State enters 2026 as both the team to beat in the Big West and one of the top programs in the nation.

2026 Big West Men’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll

1. Long Beach State – 24 points (4)
2. Hawai’i – 22 points (2)
3. UC Irvine – 17 points
4. T-4. CSUN – 9 points
   
   T-4. UC San Diego – 9 points
   
   T-4. UC Santa Barbara – 9 points
   
   First-place votes in parentheses

2026 Big West Men’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Team
George Bruening, UC Santa Barbara
Alex Kandev, Long Beach State
Jalen Phillips, CSUN
Tread Rosenthal, Hawai’i
Adrien Roure, Hawai’i
Kristian Titriyski, Hawai’i
Skyler Varga, Long Beach State
 
 

By: Jonathon Zenk, Assistant Director of Communications

NATCHITOCHES—After dipping into the transfer portal for a midfielder and defender, Northwestern State soccer head coach Ian Brophy now picks up a goalkeeper in the form of transfer Saki Tsuchiya.

Tsuchiya, a native of Takasaki, Japan, comes to NSU following a season at Valparaiso.

“We are very excited to add an experienced goalkeeper who really fits our style of play,” Brophy said. “Her ability with the ball at her feet is something that definitely suits us and should help us as a team. She will instantly provide competition in an already very competitive group and certainly makes us better.”

She played in three games for the Crusaders, sporting a save percentage of .708 and goals against average of 3.36 in just under 134 minutes. She recorded 12 saves this past season, seven coming against Drake and then posting five saves against Illinois.

Prior to her season at Valpo, Tsuchiya started her collegiate career at Tyler JC, where she competed for two seasons.

For Tyler JC, she appeared in 30 matches during the two years, where she posted a 1.18 GAA and a .780 save percentage.

She recorded three solo shutouts and five combined shutouts among her 13 wins as a sophomore in 2024. That season also earned her a Second Team All-Region selection, as her team captured the Region XIV championship and played in the NJCAA National Tournament 2023 and 2024.

As a freshman, she was named to the NJCAA Second Team All-Academic Team for 2023-24.

She played summer soccer in 2024 for TLH Reckoning of the USLW and in 2025 for Peoria City of the WPSL.

In high school at Kaishigakuen JAPAN Soccer College koutoubu, she was a three-year starter in net.

She joins an already impressive goalkeeper room that includes Second Team All-Southland Conference selection Kennedy Rist and rising sophomore Audrey Marfia, who recorded a goals against average of 0.39, surrendering just one goal in 230:32.

Tsuchiya will be the first Japan native to play for the Demons and joins Hosane Soukou, Ravina Sandhu and Anika Sproxton as players on the team not from the United States.

SAN DIEGO — Defender Lauren Watson became the first player in USD beach volleyball history on Monday afternoon when she signed a grant-in-aid agreement to play for the Toreros.

Watson, who hails from Phoenix, Arizona, attends Notre Dame Preparatory High School, where she was twice named the Arizona Beach Volleyball Player of the Year by the Arizona Republic. She will join San Diego for its inaugural beach volleyball season in the spring of 2027.

“Lauren is a really good all-around talent,” said USD beach volleyball head coach Derek Olson. “As a defender that can sit in the pocket and run shots down, she has good defensive instincts and covers a lot of sand.”

Her high school career thus far has seen her earn two Arizona Beach Volleyball Pairs State Championships, three All-League First-Team honors, and her league’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

“She also knows how to win and that’s very apparent by her results in tournaments,” Olson added. “But what I appreciate most about Lauren is her ability to play with anyone and make them better. She adds value to the environment that she is in.”
 

On Tuesday, Dec. 23, UC San Diego Athletics announced that USC associate head coach Spencer McLachlin will be the next head coach of Triton women’s volleyball. He replaces Melanie Greene, who stepped down on Dec. 6 after two seasons as head coach.

The coaching change comes after a tumultuous 6-24 season where a promising Triton team never found its rhythm. The Tritons were eliminated from postseason contention with three games left in the season following a loss to UC Riverside on Nov. 17. Assistant coach Kara Barkdoll Coy was named interim head coach for the final six games of the season after Greene’s departure.

“Spencer brings exactly what we need at this moment,” athletic director Andy Fee said in a press release. “He’s helped build winning programs, developed All-Americans, and knows how to compete at the highest level.”

McLachlin played collegiately at Stanford, winning a national championship with the Cardinal in 2010 and ending his four years in Palo Alto ranked third in career kills. McLachlin then served as an assistant coach at Hawai’i, California, UCLA, and Indiana before joining USC as associate head coach in 2023. This past season, the Trojans went 25-7 but fell in the second round of the NCAA Championship in a five-set upset loss against Cal Poly. McLachlin’s new position at UCSD will be his first head coaching role.

“I am thrilled to join UC San Diego as the Head Coach of the women’s volleyball program,” McLachlin said. “This is an incredible opportunity for my family and me to be part of an historic and beautiful university and build a program with great potential.”

DALLAS (SMU) – The SMU Volleyball team announced the signings of outside hitter Suli Davis, libero Victoria Harris, opposite hitter Gabi Placide and setter Ava Sarafa to the 2026 roster on Monday. 

 

Arriving for the spring 2026 semester, Placide brings in three years of collegiate playing experience; Harris and Sarafa come to the Hilltop with two and Davis comes to SMU with one year playing at the college level. 

 

Details of the four transfers are below.  

 

Suli Davis, So., 6-2, Outside Hitter, Euless, Texas – BYU

AVCA Second Team All-American (2025) 

AVCA West Region Freshman of the Year (2025) 

AVCA All-West Region First Team (2025) 

Big 12 Freshman of the Year (2025) 

All-Big 12 First Team (2025) 

Big 12 All-Rookie Team (2025) 

6x Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Sept. 9, Oct. 7, Oct. 21, Nov. 4, Nov. 25, Dec. 2, 2025) 

 

2025 (Freshman at BYU) 

–Broke BYU’s all-time freshman kills record during the Cougars’ five-set win over Utah on Nov. 26 

–Broke BYU’s rally-scoring era freshman kills record against Arizona on Nov. 19 

–27th player in Big 12 history with 500+ kills in a single season 

–30 double-digit kill matches, third-most in the rally-scoring era at BYU 

–Team-leading 10 double-doubles 

–Led the team in kills in 22 matches, including 13 of the Cougars’ final 14 

–Played in all 31 of the Cougars’ matches and 119 sets, starting 29 matches 

–Recorded 541 kills, third-most in a rally-scoring era season at BYU, 252 digs, 43 total blocks, including 10 solo stuffs, 31 assists and 25 service aces 

–Finished No. 1 in total kills (541), kills per set (4.55) and points per set (4.97) in the Cougars’ all-time freshman record book 

–Finished No. 1 in sets played (119), total kills (541), kills per set (4.55), total points (591.5) and points per set (4.97) in the freshman rally-scoring era at BYU 

–Is also second in double-doubles (10) and third in solo blocks (10) in the Cougars’ freshman rally-era record book 

–Career-high 28 kills in back-to-back matches (at Utah on Nov. 14 and vs. Arizona Nov. 19), the second-most kills by a freshman in the rally-scoring era at BYU 

 

Victoria Harris, Jr., 5-4, DS/Libero, Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina

SEC Community Service Team (2025) 

SEC All-Freshman Team (2024) 

SEC Freshman of the Week (Nov. 18, 2024) 

 

2025 (Sophomore at South Carolina) 

-Appeared in all 26 matches for the Gamecocks in her second season with the program 

-Finished fourth in the SEC with 4.11 digs per set, totaling 399 digs 

-Added 120 assists and 16 aces in her sophomore campaign 

-Had seven matches with 20+ digs and 21 matches with double-digit digs 

-Logged a season-best 27 digs at Missouri on Oct. 24  

-Second in the SEC during conference play, averaging 4.31 digs per set for South Carolina 

-Finished with 795 digs, 223 assists and 35 aces as a Gamecock in two seasons 

 

Gabi Placide, Sr., 6-0, Opposite Hitter, Centennial, Colo. – Ole Miss 

AVCA South Region Honorable Mention (2025) 

SEC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 22, 2025) 

AVCA West Region Honorable Mention (2024) 

Big Sky All-Conference First Team (2024) 

2x Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 21, Oct. 28, 2024) 

Big Sky Conference Fall All-Academic Team (2024) 

Big Sky Outstanding Freshman Award (2023) 

Big Sky All-Academic Team (2023) 

 

2025 (Junior at Ole Miss) 

-Started and played in all 29 matches for the Rebels 

-Led the team with 558.5 total points, 5.12 points per set, ranking third in the SEC and 15th in the NCAA 

-Registered 488 kills (31st in the NCAA) on a .213 hitting percentage in her lone season with Ole Miss 

-Logged 34 aces (sixth in the SEC) to lead Ole Miss and added 182 digs, 1.67 digs per set.  

-Had 10 matches with 20+ kills and logged double-digit kills in 25 of 29 matches  

-Registered five double-doubles, including a 19-kill and 14-dig outing against LSU on Nov. 2 

-Had a career-high 28 kills against Alabama on Oct. 31 

-Notched 22 kills, 10 digs and five aces against Texas on Oct. 24 

 

Ava Sarafa, R-Jr., 6-0, Setter, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. – Kentucky 

Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll (2024) 

First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll (2023-24) 

 

OREM — The first NCAA Division I national championship in Utah Valley University has been vacated.

Multiple reports Monday indicated that former UVU distance star Everlyn Kemboi had her 10,000-meter national title from the 2023 NCAA outdoor track and field championships vacated by the association’s committee on infractions.

The Metkei, Kenya, native who transferred to Utah Valley after starting her career at Arizona and El Paso Community College won the school’s first individual national championship with a time of 32 minutes, 39.08 seconds June 9, 2023 at the University of Texas-Austin’s Mike A. Myers Stadium.

Kemboi’s runner-up finish in the 5,000-meter run has also been removed from the association record books, as first reported by The Stride Report.

The decision first drew attention Dec. 19, when former Utah distance athlete Emily Venters revealed in a statement on Instagram that an appeal she filed with the NCAA asking to move up her 10K runner-up finish in June 2023 due to the disqualification of an athlete had been denied.

Venters, the Utes’ program record-holder in the 10,000 and 5,000 meters in outdoor track and field, finished second to Kemboi in 32 minutes, 47.70 seconds in June of her senior season in 2023. She also finished third in the 5,000 meters in 15:42.40.

Both times were the fastest by a Utah track athlete at an NCAA championship event. But Venters said her and her family were told by NCAA officials that the athlete who finished first in the 10K and second in the 5K — she did not identify Kemboi by name in her statement — had tested positive for a banned substance and had her results revoked.

“Today’s decision from the NCAA is beyond disappointing,” Venters said in a statement posted to Instagram under: “This is something I never wanted to have to post, but staying quiet would mean accepting something that isn’t right.”

“With the support of my dad and Utah’s athletic department, we fought for what we believed was right, to have the results corrected,” she added. “Today, the NCAA denied that request. What hurts most is that I will never get that moment back. I will never get to experience being named a national champion, standing on the top step of that podium, hearing my name called. That moment was taken from me by someone who chose to cheat, and now by a system that refuses to fix it.”

She called the decision “an emotional loss” and one that has “real consequences for my future” including financially for the now-professional runner sponsored by Nike and Xendurance. She also joined Utah-based Run Elite Program last June for training and support.

“But this is bigger than me,” Venters added. “This sets a dangerous standard for the next generation of NCAA athletes. It tells them that cheating can happen, that athletes can test positive, and yet the right thing still will not be done. It sends the message that clean athletes who do things the right way may never be protected or rewarded. That is not the sport we love.

“If the NCAA is willing to let this stand, then it needs to take a hard look int he mirror. Accountability matters. Clean athletes deserve better. I am speaking out because this should not be swept under the rug. This is not just my story. It is about the future of our sport, and unless things change, the message being sent is that cheating is tolerated. That is a standard we should never accept.”

Officials from Utah Valley University have not commented on the situation. But an addition to the school’s press release from June 2023 indicates that Kemboi’s national championship “was later vacated by the committee on infractions.”

A former three-time All-American and five-time Western Athletic Conference champion, Kemboi has since turned pro and appeared in 18 professional track and road races that include top events like the Portland Track Festival and the Fairmouth Road Race, according to The Stride Report.