Catching The Wave: Predicting Big West women’s volleyball awards

Dante Estrada | Long Beach Current

Defying its preseason expectations, Long Beach State women’s volleyball is engaged in a heated race with UC Davis and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for the No. 1 seed of the Big West. Will Beach stars like redshirt freshman opposite Logan King and sophomore setter Madi Maxwell take home any of the coveted conference awards?

With just two weeks remaining until the conclusion of the Big West women’s volleyball regular season, this week’s edition of  “Catching The Wave” predicts which stars will take home individual hardware. 

Freshman of the Year: Logan King, LBSU

Starting with the least debatable of the four major Big West awards this season, LBSU’s five-time Freshman of the Week has been the clear-cut best first-year in the conference. 

King ranks third in the Big West with 3.55 kills per set and is the driving force of a Beach offense that leads the conference in both kills and points per set. 

Setter of the Year: Madi Maxwell, LBSU

The most tightly-contested award race in the Big West this season is between LBSU’s own Maxwell and UC Davis setter Mia Starr. 

True to her name, Starr has starred for the Aggies with 10.32 assists per set, ranked 22nd in the nation and leading the Big West. 

However, Maxwell’s case for the award is in her versatility, as the sophomore setter has two triple-doubles to her name, ranks 13th in the conference digs and 20th in service aces while also averaging 9.22 assists per set.

With each star setter having legitimate claims to the award, this column argues the tiebreaker should be Maxwell’s offense grading out higher than Starr’s in every metric, as LBSU ranks above UC Davis in kills, hitting percentage and assists. 

Libero of the Year: Ximena Cordero Barr, UC Davis

A libero is the captain of the defense, and the Aggies’ suffocating defense has catapulted them into major contender status in the Big West. Leading the UC Davis defense is Ximena Cordero Barr. 

The Tijuana native averages the third-most digs in the conference with 4.31 per game, and with UC Davis ranking an astounding fifth in the nation in opponent hitting percentage allowed, this award has to go to an Aggie this season. 

Player of the Year: Jade Light, UC Davis

The only two-time Offensive Player of the Week this year, outside hitter Jade Light, has been a dominant force for the Aggies in her senior season. 

Light has the same versatility as Maxwell for the setter award, averaging the 12th most digs and 15th most service aces, but is also the unrivaled best attacker in the Big West, averaging the most kills per set at 4.03. This would make her an easy choice for the most prized accolade in the conference.