Going into their first road conference games, Cal Poly Volleyball was standing at an impressive eight-game winning streak.
Looking to add on to their streak and secure their conference standing, the Mustangs (11-5, Big West 2-2) faced UC San Diego and CSU Long Beach over the weekend.
Despite close matches on both days, the Mustangs’ winning streak came to an end after they fell to both teams.
Mustangs drop close Friday match to UCSD
On Friday, Cal Poly Volleyball faced UC San Diego in a competitive three-set match.
The teams foreshadowed the full match’s tone during the first set, with three ties in the first eight points.
After putting up an intense fight during the first two sets, the Tritons defeated the Mustangs with tight scores of 25-23 and 26-24.
Cal Poly saw their best offense during set two with a hitting percentage of .333 while the team’s defense held the Tritons at a hitting percentage of .281.
While the offense held up against the Tritons, the Mustangs defense fell as they only accounted for 40 digs throughout the game compared to San Diego’s 50.
“We have to get better at the net as blockers, especially in high ball situations and we have to create more dig opportunities for ourselves,” head coach Caroline Walters said.
The lack of digs did not stop the Mustangs defense at the net. Cal Poly and San Diego broke even, having seven blocks each throughout the match.
A pivotal lead of 20-11 and a 6-0 run late in the third set allowed the Tritons to capitalize on their previous momentum and secure the match with a score of 25-15.
Both teams went back and forth in scores throughout the match with 20 ties spanning the three sets.
This match was Cal Poly’s first conference loss and a shocking one at that. UC San Diego has an overall losing record of 4-12 and are much further down the standings compared to Cal Poly’s winning record of 11-5.
The Mustangs also had the advantage offensively as they lead the Big West in hitting percentage while the Tritons sit second to last.
Sophomore outside hitter Kendall Beshear led the offense and defense racking in 11 kills and nine digs followed closely by junior outside hitter Emma Fredrick who earned nine kills and nine digs.
Long Beach match closes 0-2 weekend
Following Friday’s game, Cal Poly Volleyball went up against CSU Long Beach on Saturday in a nail-biter four set match.
In the first two sets, Cal Poly’s offense fell short with a .176 and 0.031 hitting percentage resulting in the loss of both sets.
It was a rare instance of offensive inconsistency as the team’s hitting percentage is ranked No. 13 in the country at .294 as of Oct. 3.
During set two, the Beach went on a 4-0 run creating a 16-8 lead allowing them to take advantage of the Mustangs errors.
With a total of 15 attack errors throughout the first two sets, Cal Poly fell short to the Beach with scores of 25-20 and 25-18.
The Mustangs bounced back in set three in a tight, extra play fashion. After 11 ties in the set, Cal Poly secured the set win with a kill by sophomore middle blocker Chloe Leluge.
Despite the comeback of set three, the Mustangs lost the match in set four during extra points after a Tritan kill resulting in a 27-25 loss.
During the match, Beshear shined on offense claiming 16 of the team’s 51 kills while sophomore libero Elif Hurriyet and Fredrick both had 17 digs each to pilot the defense.
Cal Poly hopes to get back on their feet during their next conference match against University of California, Santa Barbara.
The Mustangs will face the Gauchos on Oct. 7 in Mott Athletics Center at 6 p.m.