Cal Poly Volleyball continued its preseason schedule at the UC Davis Invitational this weekend, claiming its third victory of the season and dropping its second match.
They defeated San Diego State on Friday and fell to host UC Davis on Saturday to close out the invitational.
Victory over the Aztecs
When looking at the statistics sheet, the Mustangs (3-2) and Aztecs (3-2) were neck and neck.
In all four sets, the winning deficit was not more than five points.
While Cal Poly had three more kills than SDSU, the Aztecs tallied six more digs. The Mustangs’ blocking helped them secure the win, collecting 11 total.
The Mustangs’ offense started the match rocky, as they had their lowest hitting percentage of the night at .051 with only 11 kills. However, their defense compensated for it as they held the Aztecs to a hitting percentage of .049 with nine kills, also their lowest of the night.
Leading the Mustang defense throughout the match were junior outside hitter Kendall Beshear with 15 digs and redshirt senior middle blocker Breklyn Pulling with six blocks.
In sets two and three, the Aztecs gave the Mustangs a run for their money. In set two, there were 15 ties and five lead changes while the Aztecs took the win in set three.
During the second set, both teams racked up 14 kills, but Cal Poly was more effective, recording their highest kill percentage of the night at .398.
Captaining the offense for the Mustangs was senior outside hitter Emma Fredrick, who notched 17 kills, her highest of the season so far.
The Aztecs came out hot in set three with their offense and defense connecting on all fronts. They outperformed the Mustangs in hitting percentage, kill percentage, digs and blocks, allowing them to secure the 25-20 win.
The Mustangs bounced back in the fourth and final set, pushing past 25 points for a 26-24 win to secure the match.
Shaky Play against the Aggies
Both the Mustang offense and defense were tested against host UC Davis.
The Aggies (2-3) started the match off strong, never giving up the lead in set one. They set the tone for the rest of the match, outhitting the Mustangs in three of the five sets and had a stronger defense with 74 overall digs compared to Cal Poly’s 69.
The Mustangs made a comeback, clinching sets two and three, pushing the match to five sets.
In both sets, the Mustangs had a hitting percentage over .300 and racked up 26 kills. They also had their strongest back-row defense of the night with 20 digs in set three.
Beshear was once again a key player for the Mustangs, leading the offense with 12 kills and co-captaining the defense with sophomore libero Maren O’Farrell, both logging 14 digs. Another Mustang standout was sophomore middle blocker Charlotte Kelly, who finished with seven blocks, tying her season high from last season.
Despite the Mustang fight, it was not enough for a victory. The Mustangs fell 25-23 in the third set and later struggled offensively in the fifth, hitting -.048. With a tight score of 15-12, the Aggies claimed the win.
The Mustangs continue their preseason on the road at the Indiana Invitational on Sept. 10-11, where they will face No. 13 Indiana and Eastern Illinois.