Cal Poly Volleyball has clinched a spot in the Big West Championship after sweeping CSU Fullerton 3-0.Â
“If you look at the beginning of the season versus now, sets, passes, seams, everything is just connecting better,” senior outside hitter Emma Fredrick said.
The Mustangs (17-7, 13-1) currently sit at the No. 6 spot in the nation for hitting percentage at .290, which has been crucial to their gameplay.
“We just have the ability to kill the ball in all different spaces across the net, and that forces opponents into some tough situations,” Head Coach Caroline Walters said.
Cal Poly matched that production against the Titans (7-20, 2-12), recording a .391 overall hitting percentage.
Fredrick led the offense with 18 kills and a .419 hitting percentage.
Not only has Fredrick earned kills in the front row, but she has also been efficient with back-row kills.
“We were doing a really good job passing, so we were in system a lot, which gave me a lot of one-on-one [up against one blocker instead of two] opportunities…so I think that was one of our biggest things,” Fredrick said. “I was also connecting with Lex [Alexis Haury] really well on back-row attacks.”
The Mustangs secured each set by eight points or more, never allowing the Titans to reach the 20-point mark.
A key factor in the Titans’ loss was their errors: 22 total, compared with the Mustangs’ 10.
Cal Poly had its best performance in set two, with a hitting percentage of .500 and a kill percentage of .524.
Alongside the Mustangs’ offense, their defense worked in tandem, as they did not allow any Titan hitters to reach double digits in kills.
Junior libero Elif Hurriyet and junior setter Alexis Haury helped lead the defense, each with 10 digs, while junior middle blocker Chloe Leluge held down the front row with five blocks.
Looking toward the postseason, Walters says defensive efficiency is key to a successful run.
“I think if we are great with first contact, it’s going to be tough for any opponent to stop us,” she said.
The Mustangs continue conference play with their second-to-last home match on Nov. 13, when they will take on Utah Valley at 5 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