After a historic season where the Cal Poly Beach Volleyball team lost in the semi-finals of the NCAA National Tournament, the Mustangs are coming into the season ranked No. 4 in the AVCA preseason poll.
Ahead of the Mustangs are the reigning national champs, the No. 1 USC Trojans, the No. 2 TCU Horned Frogs and the No. 3 UCLA Bruins.
The Mustangs are headlined by their returning, No. 1 pairing of Ella Connor and Izzy Martinez. Last season, the pair of Connor and Martinez went 26-10, were named the Big West Pair of the Year and were named AVCA All-Americans.
On top of their No. 1 pair, Cal Poly will return seven other starters, all of which earned Big West honors for their performances last season.
Some of the notable returners include senior Piper Ferch and Sophomore Erin Inskeep, sophomore Quinn Perry and graduate student Lindsey Sparks, and seniors Abbey Reinard and Madi Nichols.
Last season, Ferch and Inskeep broke the program record for wins by a pair in a season with a 30-5 record. They were both named AVCA Second Team All-Americans, and Inskeep was also named Big West Freshman of the Year.
Sparks, Perry, Reinard and Nichols all earned honorable mentions from the Big West. They went 18-5 together, while the No. 5 pairing Reinard and Nichols went 16-12.
Sparks and Perry had one of the Mustangs’ most electric wins last year. They helped Cal Poly make history by scoring the match-clinching point in the quarterfinals to win over Florida.
The Mustangs also returned Logan Walter, who will have a new partner. Last season, she earned All-Big West Second Team honors after she and her graduated partner, Piper Naess, went 24-4 as a duo.
The Mustangs will be led by 2024 Big West Coach of the Year Todd Rogers, who is returning for his ninth season at the helm. As well, the Mustangs return AVCA Assistant Coach of the Year Angela Rock.
To see the No. 4 ranked team play, they will be hosting their Black, Green and Gold scrimmage on Friday, Feb. 21 at 4:00 p.m., and then the season will kick off a week later, on Feb. 28 against the No. 3 UCLA in Los Angeles in the Battle for LA tournament.
