Cal Poly Volleyball split their two Big West Conference games this week in their first games at Mott Athletics Center since Aug. 31.
The Mustangs (10-5, 3-1 Big West) dropped their first conference game of the season against UC Davis (8-5, 3-1 Big West) before bouncing back with a sweep over UC Riverside (5-12, 0-4 Big West).
Offense struggles against the Aggies
Cal Poly Volleyball lost its first Big West Conference match of the season to UC Davis on Friday, Oct. 4, at Mott Athletics Center.
It was the Mustangs’ first home game since Aug. 31, while the Aggies had 14 blocks on what was the worst attacking performance (.065 attack percentage) of the season so far for the Green and Gold.
UC Davis won the first set on the back of a 6-1 run to close the set, taking it 25-23.
The second set featured a 9-0 run to break it open for the Aggies, 17-8. That was followed up by a 7-1 run to take a 2-0 lead, 25-14. The Mustangs’ attacking percentage was -.207 during the second set.
Cal Poly would win the third set 25-19, but UC Davis would command a 10-1 closing run in set 4 to win 25-17.
Back on track against the Highlanders
After their first Big West loss against UC Davis on Friday night, Cal Poly Volleyball bounced back, sweeping UC Riverside in three straight sets on Saturday at Mott Athletics Center.
The Highlanders started strong in the first set, jumping out early to a 4-0 run before the Mustangs could respond.
The Mustangs went up on a 5-0 run nearing the end of the first set, setting themselves up for a final point at 24-17.
Freshman Chloe Leluge scored the winning point for the Mustangs 25-18, putting them ahead 1-0.
The second set was neck-and-neck, as the Highlanders stayed within two points for most of the set, applying pressure throughout and rallying back and forth.
The most significant deficit was four points to conclude the set 25-21, as Mustangs extended the lead 2-0.
Redshirt senior Tommi Stockham carried the team in kills, ending the set with eight kills. By the end of the game, Stockham racked up a total of 11 kills.
Stockham’s offensive dominance kept the Mustangs in control during the closely contested battle in the second set.
Going into the third set with the potential to complete the sweep, the Mustangs dominated from the beginning.
A 6-0 run put Cal Poly ahead early, and the Highlanders struggled to match their momentum.
The Mustangs maintained their lead as they capitalized off the Highlander’s errors and kept control of the offense.
The Highlanders struggled to close the gap, and the Mustangs finished the final set 25-12. This marked the Mustang’s most decisive set win in this year’s Big West Conference thus far.
The Mustangs will be back on the road for their next couple of games as they gear up to take on UC Irvine on Friday, Oct. 11, at 6 p.m.