After two weeks away from home, Cal Poly Volleyball dominated at the Mustang Invitational, their first home tournament of the year.
Going into the tournament, the Mustangs had an even record of 3-3, and proceeded to beat all three opponents and move to a 6-3 record.
The fans do not go unrecognized in San Luis Obispo. The Mustang Invitational landed during Week of Welcome for Cal Poly which resulted in a special WOW Week Tournament promotion that involved reduced ticket prices and boosted the energy among the home crowd.
“I love playing in Mott [Gym] so much,” redshirt senior outside hitter Annabelle Thalken said. “It’s such a special gym and I’m just happy to be back with our fans, back in SLO, and being able to get it done in three.”
The Mustangs faced teams outside of the Big West Conference which allowed for new competition as they prepare for the season ahead.
“These teams are people we have never played before and not in our conference so we have to come in with a new mindset on how we’re going to approach each team,” junior outside hitter Emma Fredrick said. “It’s always a challenge but I think we handled that really well.”
Strong Tournament Play
Throughout the four day tournament, the Mustangs faced the University of Northern Colorado, UC Berkeley and San Jose State.
On Thursday, the Mustangs swept Northern Colorado. The sets were close in score with the first being 25-22, the second 25-23 and the third 25-18.
The defense played a pivotal role in this win with 38 digs throughout the game and 12 of those belonging to sophomore outside hitter Kendall Beshear. Fredrick was an offensive weapon rallying in 15 kills for the Mustangs.
The Mustangs carried their winning momentum into Friday by defeating the Cal Golden Bears in a 3-0 sweep. The competition was tough, with the scores of the sets being 25-21, 25-22 and 25-17, but the Mustangs secured the win.
Beshear shined on offense with 14 kills while redshirt senior setter Emme Bullis led the defense with 10 digs.
After having a break on Saturday, the Mustangs closed out the tournament on Sunday with a final sweep of San Jose State. The scores were not as close (25-20, 25-14, 25-20) but the competition was still stiff.
Both sides of the ball stayed strong racking in a whopping 52 kills and 46 digs. Thalken had a stellar offensive performance with 14 kills while Fredrick secured an impressive 13 digs on defense.
Not only does the audience see the impressive defense from the Mustangs, but the players recognize it as well.
“I think our defense was really good this tournament so that is a big plus for us,” Fredrick said.
The Season Ahead
If this tournament is any indicator of how the season will go, the Mustangs will look to continue to carry their momentum into their upcoming tournaments.
“As a team, we didn’t have a ton of struggle. We stayed pretty consistent the whole time,” Thalken said.
The chemistry the Mustangs have on the court shines through. From the in-game communication to the sideline cheers, these players have a connection.
“I’m looking forward to playing with my team. I love playing with them. I think we’re a really fun group to watch and be a part of,” Fredrick said.
The Mustangs will continue their season with another home tournament, the SLO Classic starting on September 18th and ending the 20th.