0-1
San Diego
1-0
Mustangs Open Season with 3-0 Loss to No. 19 San Diego
8/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
The Mustangs will return to the court on Saturday when tournament play continues with No. 2 Texas and LSU. The match with the host Longhorns is set for 9:30 am (PT) followed by the LSU match at 2 pm (PT).
Junior Chelsea Hardin led the team with nine kills while senior Molly Pon added eight as did junior Holly Franks. Hardin's kills came on 29 swings (.103) with Pon taking 20 swings (.250). Franks hit .333 with her kills coming on 21 swings.
Junior setter Kate Walters led the team with 25 assists and added seven digs. True freshman Nicole Kessler led the team with eight digs.
Cal Poly as a team improved in each set and concluded the match with a .230 hitting percentage. The Mustangs tallied 32 kills on 87 swings with 12 attack errors.
USD was hot throughout the match and finished the match hitting .439 with two players recording 10 or more kills. Amber Tatsch led the team with 13 while Katie Hoekman added 10 kills.
The Mustangs held a brief 3-2 lead early in the first set on a Pon kill, but USD marched right back and won seven of the next eight points for an 8-4 lead forcing a Cal Poly timeout.
USD continued with the hot hand and built the lead to 14-5 when the Mustangs called their second timeout.
The Mustangs never recovered with San Diego winning the first set, 25-10. USD hit a blazing .593 in the first set, recording only one attack error.
The second set went the way of the first with USD hitting .455 and a 25-15 win. Cal Poly improved its hitting percentage from .077 in the first set to .231 in the second.
In the third set Cal Poly was down 8-4, but closed to within two (9-7) on a kill by Franks. The Mustangs kept the set within reach on a Megan McConnell kill at 10-8 and closed within one (10-9) on a USD attack error.
After the Mustangs tied the set, 11-11, USD went on a 7-3 run to open up an 18-14 lead. Cal Poly fought back on a kill by Hardin to pull within two (19-17), but USD closed the match on a 6-3 run and took the third set, 25-20, and the match, 3-0.
