Cal Poly Volleyball’s toughest challenge yet in Big West came on Thursday, Oct. 12 in the Thunderdome at UC Santa Barbara.
The Mustangs’ five-game winning streak came to an abrupt end after getting swept by the first-place team in the Big West, UC Santa Barbara.
The Mustangs currently remain in third place in the Big West with a 5-2 record and an 11-2 overall standing while the Gauchos remain undefeated in conference play.
The Mustangs were held to just a .152 hitting percentage while the Gauchos hit .340 for the night.
Redshirt junior outside hitter Tommi Stockham and redshirt sophomore outside hitter Lizzy Markovska led the team with 11 and 10 kills respectively.
Cal Poly held strong the first half of the first set 10-11 until UCSB put on an 8-3 run to capture the set 25-17.
The Mustangs took an 11-1 deficit and retaliated by winning 11 of the next 15 points, cutting the lead down 12-15.
However, the Gauchos responded offensively by going on a 5-1 run on four kills to extend their lead by seven. The Mustangs couldn’t catch and the set ended 25-19.
Although Cal Poly started off the third set with three points in a row, their momentum was quickly offset by three kills from senior opposite hitter for UCSB Tasia Farmer,
The Gauchos went on an 8-3 run and despite scoring six in a row later in the set, Cal Poly could not catch up once again, ending at 25-20.
On a more positive note, Stockham won her fourth Big West Offensive Player of the Week award while redshirt sophomore setter Emme Bullis won her fifth Big West Setter of the Week after their wins against UC Davis and UC Riverside.
Their toughest week yet is only halfway over. Mustangs return home for a matchup against second-place Hawaii on Saturday at 7 p.m.