After taking down two ranked teams to advance to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship, Cal Poly Volleyball’s unprecedented tournament run came to an end Thursday afternoon after falling to No. 1 seed University of Kentucky in a 3-0 sweep.
The Mustangs made their 18th appearance in the tournament after clinching an automatic bid in the Big West Championship against UC Davis on No. 29. Coming in as the No. 12 seed, they were predicted to fall to No. 5 seed BYU in the first round, but they shocked the field in a 3-2 victory over the favored Cougars.
READ MORE: Cal Poly Volleyball upsets BYU to advance to second round of NCAA Tournament
With the attention of the college volleyball world fully on them, the Mustangs did it again just one day later against No. 4 seed USC, moving to the third round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in 18 years to face Kentucky.
“It’s been incredible to represent not only our great university but mid majors in general,” head coach Caroline Walters said.
The Mustangs meet their match
With an arena full of cheering fans and a sea of blue at their home Historic Memorial Coliseum, the Wildcats were set up for success from the start. They came into the match as the No. 2 ranked program in all of Division I, having just lost two matchups all season.
The Mustangs typically achieve a .275% hitting percentage per game, but Kentucky’s defense was on point Friday, holding the team at a below-average .114%.
“It’s tough to kill balls against them because they are so big as blockers and play tremendous defense,” Walters said.
While the Mustangs stayed on pace with the Wildcats in the first two sets by matching their aces and being only a few kills behind, but they fell behind 2-0 quick, putting their season on the brink
The Wildcats outperformed the Mustangs on all accounts in set three as they secured a 27-5 win, moving them forward into the Final Four where they will face No. 3 seed Creighton. They had their best offensive and defensive performance of the night in the final set, with a .609% hitting percentage and held the Mustangs to just -0.083%.
“[Kentucky] just settled in serve-receive passing and was able to stay in system,” Walters said.
Despite the loss, junior outside hitter Emma Fredrick finished her strong postseason run leading the team offensively with 11 kills and contributing seven digs on defense.
Cal Poly’s back row defense kept up with the Wildcats as sophomore libero Elif Hurriyet matched Wildcat libero Molly Tuozzo with nine digs each.
Regardless of the season’s end, the Mustangs will fly back from Kentucky with their heads held high. From a perfect home season to making it to the Sweet 16 for the first time in almost two decades, it was a historic year for Walters and her squad.
“It’s been an incredible five years,” redshirt senior Annabelle Thalken said after her final game in a Cal Poly uniform. “The support that there is in Mott is so present … seeing those stands filled, seeing the band there, I just couldn’t have asked for a better environment to play in.”