With a perfect home record on the line, Cal Poly Volleyball took on their rival University of Hawai’i on Saturday in their last home game of the season.
The Mustangs (22-6, 13-3 Big West) swept the Rainbow Wahine (11-16, 7-9 Big West) in three sets, securing an untouched 15-0 home record this season for the fourth time in program history.
“This is something very rare in college athletics that we’re really proud of, and it took work, day by day to get this result,” head coach Caroline Walters said.
This match doubled as senior night and had a total of 2,749 attendees making it the most attended home game of the season.
Making History
For the first time since 2017, the Mustangs went undefeated at Mott Athletics Center and swept the University of Hawai’i in both season matchups.
In the past 28 matchups with the Rainbow Wahine, the Mustangs have come out victorious only eight times.
This was the last regular season matchup between Cal Poly and Hawai’i as conference rivals, as the Rainbow Wahine are moving to the Mountain West Conference next season.
“Meeting Hawai’i for our last time in conference and beating them both times this year has been incredible,” redshirt senior outside hitter Annabelle Thalken said. “It’s not something that’s happened in years past and we’re so grateful for this group and for the game.”
Cal Poly had a historic season in 2017, going undefeated in conference and at home while holding a 27-3 record. They took home both the regular season title and the Big West Championship title.
The Mustangs are looking to repeat history as they secured an untouched home record and already clinched a postseason berth.
Shutting down the Rainbow Wahine
The Rainbow Wahine started the match on a positive note, quickly gaining an 8-5 lead in the first set.
That advantage did not last for long as Cal Poly went on a 5-0 run, taking a lead that they would hold for the rest of the set.
With 16 digs and six blocks, the Mustangs had their best defensive performance of the night, holding Hawai’i to a 0% hitting percentage in set one.
Sophomore outside hitter Kendall Beshear led the team in digs with 10 throughout the match while freshman middle blocker Charlotte Kelly tallied six blocks.
“In Thursday’s Santa Barbara match we played pretty well offensively, and we wanted to make sure that going into this match we were better defensively,” Walters said. “I thought we blocked really well tonight.”
Redshirt senior setter Emme Bullis shined in her last home match as a Mustang, securing the final point in set one with her classic setter dump earning the Mustangs a set one win of 25-14.
While the Mustangs carried their winning momentum into the second set despite Hawai’i putting up a fight with their best offensive and defensive performance of the night, holding the Mustangs to a .211 hit percentage.
Capitalizing on the Mustangs errors and utilizing their offensive performance, Hawai’i went on a 5-0 run late in the set to tie the game at 20-20.
Despite the pushback, the Mustangs secured the last five points of the set, foreshadowing their commanding third set.
Cal Poly controlled set three from the start, only allowing the Rainbow Wahine to earn two points throughout the first seven points of the set.
The Mustangs offense earned a .389% hitting percentage in the third set, increasing their overall match hitting percentage to .284%, two points better than their season average. Cal Poly currently leads the Big West in hitting percentage by a .030% margin.
In under 25 minutes, the Mustangs dominated set three with a score of 25-12, securing the series sweep.
The Mustangs saw dominance from both age groups on the team as Kelly and Thalken led the team in kills with 10 each.
“It was amazing,” Thalken said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better crowd, a better game or a better group of people. It’s the best way to end our careers here.”
A Look Towards the Big West Championship
In the past two years, the Mustangs have made it to the Big West Championship but have been beaten out by the Rainbow Wahine both times.
This year, Hawai’i is fighting for a spot. Only six teams make it to the championship, and they are on the fence. Before the loss against Cal Poly, they were sitting in sole sixth place in the conference, but the loss put them in a tie with UC Irvine for the last postseason spot.
The Mustangs secured a postseason berth after defeating CSU Long Beach on Nov. 7. Their final two games of the season are pivotal for their seed in the championship as they currently sit at a 13-3 conference record with UC Santa Barabara and Long Beach close behind at 12-4.
A top-two seed in the conference earns a first-round bye, automatically sending them to the semifinals.
The Mustangs are on the road for their last two games of the regular season where they will face CSU Fullerton and UC Irvine on Nov. 21 and 22.