No. 21 Volleyball Announces 2026 Schedule, Mott Selected to Host Big West Championship
6/9/2026 12:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Following one of the most memorable seasons in program history and a perfect 15-0 home record, the defending Big West and NCAA Los Angeles Regional champion Cal Poly volleyball team announced its 2026 schedule Tuesday, highlighted by the news that Mott Athletics Center will host the 2026 Big West Championship.
Cal Poly's historic NCAA Tournament run captivated the Central Coast and elevated the program onto the national stage. Now, the Mustangs face another challenging schedule featuring seven 2025 NCAA Tournament participants, five reigning conference champions, four teams that finished in the final 2025 AVCA Coaches Poll, and the defending national champion.
For us, the focus remains the same regardless of who is on the schedule. We want to continue building a program that can compete for conference championships and make deep NCAA Tournament runs.Head Coach Caroline Walters
Non-Conference Slate
The 2026 schedule includes 12 home matches at Mott Athletics Center, where the Mustangs carry a 19-match home winning streak into the new season, the longest active streak in the nation.
The season begins Aug. 28 in College Station, Texas, against Grand Canyon in a neutral-site matchup before a marquee showdown the following evening against tournament host and reigning NCAA champion Texas A&M. Cal Poly closes the opening weekend Aug. 30 against reigning Sun Belt Conference champion Arkansas State.
Texas A&M enters 2026 as the defending national champion after finishing 29-4 overall and No. 1 in the final AVCA Coaches Poll. The Aggies earned an at-large berth and hosted NCAA Tournament matches before defeating previously unbeaten Nebraska, eventual national runner-up Kentucky and several other national contenders en route to the program's first national championship.
The Mustangs continue their demanding road schedule Sept. 4 against former Big West rival UC Davis in a tournament hosted by the Aggies. The match marks the first meeting between the programs as non-conference opponents following UC Davis' move to the Mountain West Conference alongside Hawai'i. The Aggies captured the 2025 Big West regular-season title before falling to Cal Poly in the conference championship match.
Cal Poly concludes the tournament Sept. 5 against San Diego State in a neutral-site contest.
The road trip continues Sept. 10 when the Mustangs travel to Bloomington, Indiana, to face Indiana, the former program of assistant coach Tommi Stockham. The following day, Cal Poly takes on Ohio Valley Conference champion and NCAA Tournament participant Eastern Illinois in another neutral-site matchup.
Indiana finished 25-8 in 2025, hosted NCAA Tournament matches as a No. 4 regional seed and advanced to the Austin Regional semifinals before ending the year ranked No. 13 nationally.
The Mustangs return to Mott Athletics Center on Sept. 17 for the first time since Nov. 15, 2025, opening a four-match homestand that features two more nationally ranked opponents from a season ago.
Cal Poly opens its home schedule Sept. 17 against Santa Clara before welcoming Arizona State on Sept. 18. The Sun Devils captured the 2025 Big 12 Championship, earned a No. 2 regional seed and advanced to the Lexington Regional semifinals before finishing No. 12 in the final national rankings.
Two days later, the Mustangs host ACC champion Stanford. The Cardinal finished 29-5 in 2025, earned a No. 2 regional seed, advanced to the Austin Regional semifinals and concluded the season ranked No. 7 nationally. Stanford also opened NCAA Tournament play with a victory over Utah Valley, which joins the Big West Conference in 2026.
Big West Campaign
Conference play begins Sept. 25-26 with home matches against Cal State Bakersfield and CSUN.
The Mustangs travel for another stretch starting Oct. 1 when they visit Sacramento State, one of three new conference members entering the league this season. Following the departures of Hawai'i and UC Davis to the Mountain West, the Big West welcomes Sacramento State from the Big Sky Conference and California Baptist and Utah Valley from the Western Athletic Conference.
Utah Valley enters its inaugural Big West campaign after winning the 2025 WAC Championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
“The conference landscape continues to evolve, and while we'll certainly miss competing against programs like Hawai'i and UC Davis," said coach Walters. "Both programs have played an important role in elevating the level of volleyball in the Big West. We're excited to welcome Utah Valley, Sacramento State, and California Baptist, some programs have recent NCAA Tournament experience and will add to the competitive nature of the conference.”
Cal Poly's 18-match conference schedule features home-and-home series against UC Santa Barbara, Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton, UC Riverside and California Baptist. The Mustangs will also face Sacramento State, Utah Valley, UC Irvine, UC San Diego and CSUN once during the regular season.
The regular season concludes Nov. 21 at California Baptist before Cal Poly turns its attention to the postseason.
For the first time, the road to the NCAA Tournament will run through San Luis Obispo as Mott Athletics Center hosts the 2026 Big West Championship from Nov. 25-28.
One year after capturing a conference title and advancing to the Sweet 16, the Mustangs will have an opportunity to defend their championship on their home floor in front of Mustang fans.
Information regarding single-match tickets will be announced at a later date. Season tickets are available now!
We're excited to host the Big West Championship at Mott Athletics Center this November. Having the opportunity to compete for a championship at home during Thanksgiving week is incredibly special for our program and our fans. We're looking forward to showcasing the passion of this community and the incredible support behind Cal Poly Volleyball. We know Mott Magic will be in full effect come late November!Head Coach Caroline Walters
Reviewing a Historic 2025 Season
Cal Poly earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament following a historic 2025 campaign. The Mustangs completed a perfect 15-0 home record while extending their home winning streak to 19 matches dating back to 2024, the second-longest streak in program history.
The Mustangs also recorded a third consecutive season with at least 14 conference victories, finishing second behind UC Davis in the regular-season standings.
As the No. 2 seed in the Big West Championship, Cal Poly defeated host Long Beach State before knocking off top-seeded UC Davis to secure the program's 18th NCAA postseason appearance.
In the NCAA Tournament, the Mustangs became the lowest-seeded team and only the second mid-major program to reach the Sweet 16. Cal Poly accomplished the feat by defeating No. 5 seed BYU and No. 4 seed USC in back-to-back five-set matches within a 24-hour span.
The appearance marked the program's seventh Sweet 16 berth and its second during the current 64-team NCAA Tournament format. It was also Cal Poly's first trip to the tournament's third round since 2007.
The Mustangs finished with 27 victories, the most under head coach Caroline Walters and the program's highest win total since 2017.
Cal Poly's season concluded in the Lexington Regional semifinals against eventual national runner-up Kentucky.
For its efforts, Cal Poly finished No. 21 in the final AVCA Coaches Poll, its highest year-end ranking since finishing No. 11 in 2007. The ranking marked the 13th time in program history the Mustangs finished a season nationally ranked and the program's highest national ranking at any point in a season since reaching No. 13 in November 2018.
“Ultimately, being nationally ranked and having more eyes on our program is a great thing, but it doesn't change who we are. Our focus remains the same, develop great people, compete at the highest level, and represent Cal Poly with pride. The attention is a result of the work and now the challenge is to build on it and continue writing the next chapter of Cal Poly volleyball.”
Returning Talent and New Faces
Cal Poly returns the majority of its roster from last season while replacing key seniors Emme Bullis, Annabelle Thalken and London Haberfield.
The Mustangs will look to replace Bullis, one of the most accomplished setters in program history, who graduated and joined the Nevada coaching staff alongside former Cal Poly associate head coach Jason Borchin.
Leading the next generation of setters is Washington transfer Alexis Haury, who recorded more than 1,000 assists in 2025. Senior Samantha Callahan also returns for her final season, while Brooke Hansen provides additional depth at the position.
At middle blocker, Cal Poly welcomes back Katy Foley, who redshirted during the 2025 season, and 2024 All-Big West First Team selection Breklyn Pulling, who returns after missing the entire season because of injury. Pulling also retains a year of eligibility through a medical redshirt.
Returning standouts Chloe Leluge and Charlotte Kelly give the Mustangs one of the conference's most experienced and productive middle-blocking combinations.
Along the pins, NCAA Tournament standout Kendall Beshear returns alongside veteran Emma Fredrick, sophomore Aveya Stone, Kayla Murdoch and incoming three-star recruit Kamille Scott.
Defensively, Elif Hurriyet, Ella Scott and Maren O'Farrell all return and provide versatility, experience and strong serving from the back row.
On the sidelines, 2024 Big West Coach of the Year Caroline Walters returns for her seventh season at the helm, while assistant coach Addie Picha enters her fourth year with the program. Former Cal head coach Sam Crosson joins the staff as associate head coach after spending the previous seven seasons in the Bay Area.
