Big West Volleyball honors for UCSB and Cal Poly on eve of league tournament
Mike Klan
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Cal Poly and UCSB had several players honored as the Big West announced their season awards.
UCSB Volleyball:
After a standout debut season, Gabi Martinez has been named the 2025 Big West Freshman of the Year, the conference announced Tuesday. Three additional Gauchos – Layanna Green, Eva Travis, and Jordyn Johnson – have also earned all-conference honors after leading the Gauchos to a dominant regular season on the court.
Martinez made an immediate impact in her first collegiate season, also securing All-Big West First Team honors and a spot on the All-Big West Freshman Team. The outside hitter from Katy, Texas, earned Big West Freshman of the Week three times this season and is the second consecutive Big West Freshman of the Year from UC Santa Barbara.
Martinez has repeatedly led the Gaucho offense, averaging 15.4 kills per match in the last ten outings and registering a career-high of 19 kills against CSUN. She also got it done on defense, scoring a career-best five blocks versus UC San Diego and scooping double-digit digs on four occasions. With her growth, consistency, and competitive edge, she is sure to remain a major asset for the Gauchos in the seasons ahead.
Middle blocker Layanna Green also received All-Big West First Team Honors. She has spent the season being the most efficient hitter in the league, ranking first in the Big West and 13th in the nation in hitting percentage, at .425. This season, she posted a season-high 14 kills, 17 points, and a .700 hit percentage against Cal Poly, a career-high of nine block assists against UC San Diego, and earned a spot on the Dayton Flyer Invitational All-Tournament Team. Green ended the regular season with an average of 3.6 blocks per match.
Outside hitter and 2024 Big West Freshman of the Year Eva Travis continued to shine this season, earning All-Big West Second Team honors. She was selected to the All-Big West Preseason Team and named to the Trojan Invitational All-Tournament Team, reinforcing her status as one of Santa Barbara’s key offensive players. She was named the Big West Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 25, after delivering 30 kills over UC Irvine, a career-high and the highest kill count of any Big West player this season. She has sat atop the Big West kill and point rankings for the entirety of the season and has averaged 14 kills per match.
Freshman middle blocker Jordyn Johnson made a strong impression with her debut season, earning an All-Big West Honorable Mention recognition and a spot on the All-Freshman Team. Johnson leads the Big West in solo blocks at 21 and is tenth in blocks per set with 0.99. The Minnesotan also posted a .389 hitting percentage. She recorded a career-high 11 kills against Cal Poly, a career-high 7 blocks against UC Irvine, and 10.5 points at Hawai’i. With her athleticism and timing at the net, Johnson has quickly become a dominant presence on the court for the Gauchos.
POSTSEASON
On November 26th, Women’s Volleyball will head down to Long Beach to compete in the 2025 Outrigger Big West Women’s Volleyball Championship, presented by the Hawaiian Islands. Over the three-day tournament, the top six Big West teams will battle inside the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid for a spot in the championship match on Saturday, November 29th.
Santa Barbara will act as the No. 4 seed and take on No. 5 CSUN at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 26. The Gauchos have defeated the Matadors twice this season, going 3-1 and 3-0, and lead in the all-time series 44-9.
Cal Poly Volleyball:
Six total Mustangs earned Big West honors led by Emme Bullis and Kendall Beshear earning first team nods.
Emme Bullis / All-Big West First TeamBullis, a redshirt senior from Whitewater, Wis., received her fourth career all-conference nod after a pair of honorable mentions in 2022-23 and a second-team placement last season. She broke through to the first team this year in a milestone season, cementing her status as one of the most legendary setters in the program’s Division I era.
Bullis not only eclipsed 1,000 assists for the third time in her career but also became just the fourth Mustang in the program’s Division I history to reach the coveted 4,000-assist milestone. Her career tally of 4,159 ranks fourth in Cal Poly’s record book, just 86 behind third-place Carly O’Halloran (1999-02) and 121 from second-place Taylor Nelson (2014-17).
Arguably Cal Poly’s most versatile player this season, Bullis bolstered her case as one of the Big West’s premier players. She set career highs in kills (56), total attempts (150), hitting percentage (.273), and points per set (1.00), while also tallying a team-best 11 double-doubles and ranking third on the team in digs (249).
Kendall Beshear / All-Big West First TeamThe sophomore was a dominant and versatile six-rotation player for Cal Poly, serving as a primary offensive weapon and a key defender. After a standout freshman campaign, Beshear elevated her game significantly this season.
Beshear ranks second on the team with 322 kills, averaging 3.16 per set with a .272 hitting percentage. She was the team’s most dangerous server, deploying a lethal jump serve that produced a squad-leading 40 service aces (0.39 per set), which ranked second in the Big West.
A complete player, Beshear also finished fourth on the team in digs with 233 (2.28 per set) and added 50 total blocks (0.49 per set).
Chloe Leluge / All-Big West Second TeamA Big West All-Freshman honoree in her debut season, Leluge was an efficient and formidable presence at the net. She excelled defensively while also establishing herself as one of the nation’s top offensive middle blockers.
Leluge posted a remarkable team-leading .374 hitting percentage, a testament to her smart shot selection and ability to terminate attacks with minimal errors (only 50 on 486 attempts). Her hitting efficiency ranked second in the conference and 52nd nationally, helping the Mustangs remain in the top 25 for team hitting percentage for most of the season.
She also leads the team in blocking, with 109 total blocks for an average of 1.04 per set. This includes 10 solo blocks and 99 block assists, as well as a career-high of 10 total blocks in a single match against Arkansas.
Annabelle Thalken and Emma Fredrick / All-Big West Honorable MentionsThalken recorded 249 kills with a strong .299 hitting percentage and became a key part of the team’s blocking scheme, amassing 72 total blocks for a 0.69 per-set average.
Fredrick, who took on the largest offensive role of her career, led the team in nearly every major offensive category. She racked up a team-high 352 kills, averaging 3.35 per set. While taking the most swings on the team by a wide margin (930 total attacks), she also contributed 30 service aces (0.29 per set) and ranked second on the team in digs with 290 (2.76 per set).
Charlotte Kelly / Big West All-Freshman TeamFor the second consecutive season, Cal Poly is represented on the All-Freshman Team. Kelly was a defensive stalwart at the net, forming a formidable blocking duo with Chloe Leluge and providing a dependable offensive option in the middle.
Stepping into the role vacated by last season’s All-Big West First Team selection Breklyn Pulling, Kelly rose to the challenge. She ranks second on the team with 107 total blocks, averaging 1.02 per set. She also made the most of her offensive opportunities, scoring 149 kills with an excellent .315 hitting percentage, one of the highest on the team.