Cal Poly Volleyball and Sacramento State both went into Thursday night’s game with two conference wins and zero losses. After a sweeping 3-0 match, Cal Poly gave the Hornets (7-7, 2-1) their first conference loss of the season.
Sacramento State is one of three new members in the Big West. They previously were part of the Big Sky Conference.
Before this match, the Hornets were undefeated at home with a 5-0 record, but the Mustangs (7-6, 3-0) broke that streak.
Throughout the match, the Mustangs’ offense and defense fired on all cylinders. They ended the game with a .405 hitting percentage while their defense held the Hornets under .100 in all three sets and at a total percentage of .051.
In each set, the Mustangs went on at least a seven-point run without letting Sacramento State score.
Cal Poly set the tone early as they finished set one with a score of 25-12. They also had their highest hitting percentage of the night at .542.
Senior outside hitter Emma Fredrick led the team offensively with 17 total kills, a hitting percentage of .625 and a kill percentage of .708.
The Mustangs’ defense kept Sacramento State’s hitters out of double digits. They even held the Hornet hitter with the most kills to a negative hitting percentage of -.094.
Frederick also captained the defense alongside junior libero Elif Hurriyet, who both recorded eight digs each. Sophomore middle blocker Charlotte Kelly was a key player in the Mustangs’ front row defense as she notched seven blocks, two more than Sacramento’s total number of blocks.
Continuing their momentum, Cal Poly won the second and third sets, earning the match’s highest kill percentage during the second set at .560 and recording the most digs in the third set with 18.
The Hornets’ defense came out hot in set three as they noted their highest number of digs with 13 and recorded all five of their blocks.
Yet, their offensive production remained inefficient as they dropped to a .031 hitting percentage, allowing Cal Poly to win the match 25-16.
Cal Poly looks to stay undefeated in conference as they take on Utah Valley University, another new member of the Big West Conference, at the Lockhart Arena in Orem, Utah, on Oct. 3 at 12 p.m.
Samantha Roach is a sports reporter for Mustang News and is employed by Cal Poly Athletics to create social media content for the volleyball team.