For the first time in six years, Cal Poly Volleyball is advancing to the second round of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament after upsetting No. 5 seed BYU in a five-set match on Thursday.
Heading into the tournament, the odds were against the No. 12 seeded Mustangs. Every prediction bracket posted on the NCAA Volleyball Instagram page predicted a defeat, but they flipped the script, defying the odds in a five set match against the favored Cougars.
“[The team] makes my job easy,” head coach Caroline Walters said. “Their joy is infectious.”
The Mustangs came out as a force to be reckoned with in set one securing a competitive 25-19 win as there was not a deficit larger than two points until Cal Poly took a 21-19 lead.
Despite the first set victory, the Mustangs faced a total of 13 errors within sets two and three that caused BYU to take a 25-17 and 25-20 win, gaining a 2-1 set lead.
“In the last time out of set three, I told these guys if you want to do this, you just have to go aggressive from the service line and aggressive as attackers,” Walters said. “And I thought we did just that.”
Taking Walters advice, the Mustangs earned six service aces and 22 kills throughout sets four and five securing the match with scores of 25-20 and 15-10.
The tournament started with 64 teams and the win advanced the Mustangs into the final 32. They will face No. 4 seed USC in round two after pushing Thursday’s match to five sets, bouncing back from being down 2-1.
Bullis’ Journey to the Leaderboard
Just three and a half weeks ago, redshirt senior setter Emme Bullis notched 4,000 career assists, becoming the fourth Mustang in history to achieve this accolade.
Thursday night, she became the Mustang with the second highest amount of assists in program history as she tallied 52 assists to equal a career total of 4,296.
“It was a different stage, but it didn’t feel any different on the court, same joy” Bullis said.
She earned the second place spot in the Big West Conference racking in an average of 9.76 assists per set and earned herself a spot on the All Big West First Team.
Her success throughout the season and in Thursday’s match as a setter has also led to the improved play of her teammates. Specifically, two outside hitters had a standout game on Thursday with the help of Bullis’ assists.
“Emme ran a flawless offense, and it made my life a lot easier when I had a two-foot seam,” sophomore outside hitter Kendall Beshear said.
Beshear, Frederick lead the charge
Beshear has been a standout player for the Mustangs all season long. Her average of 3.08 kills a set and game hitting percentage of .261% also landed her a spot on the All Big West First Team.
“I’m just so grateful to play this sport every day,” Beshear said. “I just love volleyball.”
Her love for the game was evident throughout the match on Thursday as she led the team offensively, matching her career high of 20 kills while averaging a hitting percentage of .383%. She contributed over 30% of Cal Poly’s total kills in the comeback win.
A key part of the Mustang’s victory was their offensive performance. With a match hitting percentage of .313% and 64 kills, they out-played BYU in almost every offensive aspect.
“That ability from everyone to be able to play volleyball and kill balls from every single position … makes our offense so hard to scout,” Beshear said.
Not only was she a well-oiled machine on offense, but she also helped hold BYU at a .256% hitting percentage which is just under their season average. Beshear added four blocks and 12 digs to the team’s totals throughout the entirety of the match.
From the start of the season, junior outside hitter Emma Fredrick has been a powerhouse at the net. Her efficiency has wavered throughout the season with hitting percentages ranging from -0.041% to .500%.
Thursday’s game put her offense back on the radar once again as she was second on the team with 15 kills and finished with a .231% hitting percentage.
BYU’s defense forced Cal Poly out of system several times throughout the match. Bullis sent an abundance of those out of system balls Fredrick’s way, and she executed with a .385% overall kill percentage.
Like Beshear, Fredrick was an all-around star also adding to the defense as she brought in two blocks and 10 digs.
Both sides of Cal Poly’s play were firing on all cylinders as their defense included 12 blocks and 72 digs.
Sophomore libero Elif Hurriyet captained the defense with 16 digs while senior defensive specialist London Haberfield followed closely behind with 13.
Aside from the passing defense, freshman middle blocker Charlotte Kelly and redshirt senior outside hitter Annabelle Thalken combined for nine blocks total helping the Mustangs hold BYU to a 0% hitting percentage in the last set and seal the upset win.
“That switch that we flipped of having fun and relentless defense increased the energy,” Beshear said.
Both UCLA and Kentucky advanced to the second round posing potential matchups for the Mustangs if they defeat USC on Friday night.
Cal Poly will kick off against USC at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Calif. on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.