The Cal Poly women’s volleyball team held on to the top spot in the Big West Conference with a 3-0 win over Cal State Northridge at Mott Gym on Friday night.
In a quick 25-12, 25-18, 25-15 match, the Mustangs broke their season high for service aces, with 12. The previous high was set Sept. 5 against Northeastern.
“We had one of our best weeks in practice and came out to fight,” Mustangs senior opposite Kylie Atherstone said.
Atherstone, who had a match-high 12 kills, is fighting a battle of her own. She is just two aces away from breaking the Cal Poly career record of 167.
“I don’t really think about it too much,” she said. “Personal accolades are really nice, but if we win, that’s all I really care about.”
Cal Poly head coach Jon Stevenson said the Mustangs have been particularly addressing serving in practice.
“We had a lot of players that did very well,” he said. “And we beat a very good team so we’re excited.”
Junior setter Hailey Fithian and senior middle blocker Jaclyn Houston also experienced personal success Friday. Fithian led the Mustangs with 26 assists and 12 digs, and Houston hit .333.
The Mustangs (12-7, 7-1 Big West) controlled the lead during all three sets, trailing Cal State Northridge (6-16, 1-8 Big West) only a few times, but had 21 hitting errors during the match.
“For serving as well as we did, and getting as many offensive opportunities as we had, we could have played more efficiently on offense,” Stevenson said. “(But) we are 7-1 in conference play and doing very well.”
The Mustangs host Cal State Fullerton at 7 tonight.