Defending champs picked to repeat in Big West polls - UC Davis Athletics (2024)

C.K. Hicks/UC Davis Athletics

Women's Basketball 11/2/2021 1:51:00 PM Jason Spencer, Assistant Director

Aggies are the unanimous selection of the coaches and media members

DAVIS, Calif. -- The five-time defending Big West Conference champion UC Davis women's basketball team was picked to finish atop the league standings once again, a unanimous selection by both the head coaches and the media according to a vote released on Tuesday afternoon by the conference office.

The Aggies received nine of the 11 first-place votes and 99 points overall from the head coaches, outpacing second-place UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara, which picked up the two remaining first-place nods and finished with 88 and 75 points overall, respectively.

UC Davis also received six of the 11 first-place votes from the media and 104 points overall, edging Long Beach State by four points and the Anteaters by six points.

In addition, senior forward Cierra Hall was one of five unanimous selections to both the coach's and media's preseason All-Big West teams for the second consecutive season. The reigning Big West Player of the Year -- and one of only three players in league history to be named both the conference's player and defensive player of the year in a career -- returns for a fifth season in a UC Davis jersey after the NCAA granted 2020-21 winter sports student-athletes an additional year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hall averaged 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds last season while shooting .463 from the field and enters the season, adding All-Big West first team and Big West Tournament MVP honors to her mantel. She enters this season just 93 points away from becoming the 21st player in school history to reach 1,000 career points.

Senior Sage Stobbart, the reigning Big West Defensive Player of the Year, also garnered preseason attention, appearing on two-or-more ballots on both the coach's and media's teams. Stobbart, who was one of 15 players named to last year's Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year watch list, averaged 10.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, and 2.68 blocks per game, and was also named to the All-Big West first team, the Big West all-tournament team, and the Big West All-Defensive Team.

After opening the year with an exhibition against Cal State East Bay on Monday (Nov. 1), UC Davis officially tips-off the regular season against the Academy of Art on Tuesday (Nov. 9) at 6 p.m. at the University Credit Union Center. Admission to the contest is free.

2021-22 BIG WEST PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. UC Davis (9) - 99 points
2. UC Irvine (1) - 88
3. UC Santa Barbara (1) - 75
4. Long Beach State 74
5. Hawai'i - 67
6. CSU Bakersfield - 54
7. UC San Diego - 38
8. UC Riverside - 35
9. Cal Poly - 25
10. Cal State Fullerton - 22
11. CSUN - 18

2021-22 BIG WEST PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
1. UC Davis (6) - 104 points
2. Long Beach State (1) - 100
3. UC Irvine - 98
4. Hawai'i (1) - 76
5. CSU Bakersfield (1) - 73
6. UC Santa Barbara (1) - 72
7. Cal Poly - 54
8. UC Riverside (1) - 48
9. UC San Diego (46)
10. CSUN - 30
11. Cal State Fullerton - 25

2021-22 PRESEASON ALL-BIG WEST COACHES TEAM
Amy Atwell, Hawai'i (Senior, Forward)
Keilanei Cooper, UC Riverside (Senior, Guard)
Cierra Hall, UC Davis (Senior, Forward)
Justina King, Long Beach State (Junior, Guard)
Ila Lane, UC Santa Barbara (Junior, Forward/Center)
Kayla Williams, UC Irvine (Sophom*ore, Guard)

Also appearing on two or more ballots: Sydney Brown (UC San Diego); Taylor Mole (UC Santa Barbara); Sage Stobbart (UC Davis); Chloe Webb (UC Irvine)

2021-22 PRESEASON ALL-BIG WEST MEDIA TEAM
Amy Atwell, Hawai'i (Senior, Forward)
Keilanei Cooper, UC Riverside (Senior, Guard)
Cierra Hall, UC Davis (Senior, Forward)
Justina King, Long Beach State (Junior, Guard)
Taylor Mole, UC Santa Barbara (Senior, Guard/Forward)
Kayla Williams, UC Irvine (Sophom*ore, Guard)

Also appearing on two or more ballots: Sydney Brown (UC San Diego); Jayden Eggleston (CSU Bakersfield); Ila Lane (UC Santa Barbara); Sage Stobbart (UC Davis); Maddi Utti (Long Beach State)

ABOUT UC DAVIS
Centrally located between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, over 700 student-athletes across 25 teams enjoy an unrivaled undergraduate experience at the fifth-ranked public school in the country.

Ranked annually in the nation's top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility, UC Davis and its innovative Aggie EVO System helps student-athletes develop passions, connect with a comprehensive network of alums and industry leaders, gain real-world experience and thrive as a young professional following a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school.