Coming into the final game of the season, Cal Poly Volleyball was still without redshirt sophomore Lizzy Markovska, who suffered an ankle injury against Long Beach State.
The Mustangs (20-10, 14-4) needed a win over the Aggies (13-15, 8-10) in order to firmly cement themselves as a top three seed in the conference.
Markovska is a crucial piece to the Mustangs offense at the opposite position and has the fifth-most kills in the Big West with 351. She would substitute into the game in the back row as a passer, but in her place freshman Emma Fredrick played front row.
After leading the way in kills the game prior against UC Riverside with 11, the true freshman compiled a career-high 17 kills in the Mustangs 3-2 win over the Aggies.
With the win, the Mustangs locked in the third seed headed into the Big West Championship in Long Beach. The Mustangs and Aggies will match up in the three versus six seed game on Wednesday, Nov. 22
Cal Poly has now won five games in a row heading into the first-ever Big West volleyball postseason tournament.
After a long first set, the Aggies came out on top 25-22, but the Mustangs bounced back and dominated the second set, scoring eight of the first 10 points. The final score in set two would be 25-18.
In the third set, redshirt junior Tommi Stockham sealed a down-to-the-wire 28-26 win with a kill.
In the fourth set, the Mustangs gave up 10 points to attack and serve errors, which led to their demise.
Sophomore Brooklyn Burns recorded three straight service aces in the fifth set and propelled the Mustangs to their 20th win of the season.
The Mustangs finish the 2023 season as the third seed in the Big West, meaning they do not receive a bye in the first round of the Big West Tournament. Their first game of the Big West Tournament will be against UC Davis on Wednesday, November 22, at 7 p.m.