1-10
Nevada
2-10
Cal Poly Falls in Four Sets to Nevada
9/15/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – The Cal Poly volleyball team lost in four sets in a hard fought battle to Nevada in the final day of competition at the Utah Classic on Saturday. Set scores went 15-25, 26-24, 26-24 and 26-24. With the loss the Mustangs fall to 1-10 on the season while Nevada improves to 2-10.
Cal Poly took an early lead in the match with a dominating first set win, but dropped the next three sets, all by scores of 26-24. The Mustangs battled in each of the sets and came from by behind in two of the sets to put themselves in position to win.
A pair of true freshman, Maddie Kuber and Hannah Schleis, led the team with 14 kills each while junior Holley Franks added 13 kills. Franks was the lone Mustang selected to the all-tournament team. Senior Molly Pon added nine kills with junior Marianne Gera contributing with five. Kuber nearly made it her second triple-double with a team-high 27 assists and eight digs while junior Kate Walters tallied 25 assists and 10 digs. Junior Steffi Sooter led the team with 11 digs.
Janelle Batista led Nevada with 19 kills as the team hit .186 while the Mustangs hit .226. Cal Poly held a 56-45 advantage in assists and 62-35 advantage in digs while Nevada served up 10 service aces to Cal Poly's four and outblocked the Mustangs 15-1.
In the first set the Mustangs moved out to a 10-2 lead behind a pair of kills by Kuber and Gera. Cal Poly made it a 10 point lead (14-4) on a kill by Franks and never looked back in a 25-15 first set win. Cal Poly hit .481 with Pon, Kuber, Franks and Schleis contributing with three kills each. The Mustangs limited Nevada to a .122 hitting percentage.
The second set opened a little closer with Cal Poly holding an 8-4 lead with Kuber recording a pair of kills early in the set. Nevada came back to tie the set at 8-8 and take the lead when they scored six straight points (10-8) forcing a Cal Poly timeout. The Mustang battled to tie the set at 15-15 on a kill by Schleis and take the lead, 18-17 on another kill by Schleis. Nevada answered with a mini-run and took a 20-19 lead then scored three more points to hold a 23-19 advantage. Out of the timeout, Cal Poly would score three points to pull within one, 23-22, with the Wolfpack calling timeout. Cal Poly tied the set at 24-24 when Nevada scored two straight points to even the match at one set each.
The third set opened with the teams trading points until Nevada pulled out to a 13-8 lead. The Mustangs marched back on three kills by Franks to tie the set at 18-18 and again at 20-20 on two kills by Schleis. Cal Poly took a 23-21 lead on a kill by Kuber with Nevada taking a timeout. Out of the timeout Nevada came back to tie the set at 24-24 with the Mustangs calling timeout. Nevada would close out the set on an attack error by the Mustangs and a block by Tesa Lea'ea.
The Mustangs opened the fourth set down 6-2 and Nevada expanded it to a 12-5 lead when the Mustangs battled back to cut the lead to two, 15-13, on a Kill by Kuber. Cal Poly would eventually tie the set at 18-18 on a service ace by Sooter. The teams traded point until the Mustangs pulled out to a 22-20 advantage on a pair of attack errors by Nevada. The Wolfpack would charge back and hold a 23-22 lead only to have the Mustangs comeback to take a 24-23 lead on a kill by Franks and an attack error by Nevada. The Wolfpack would put the set and the match away on a kill, an assisted block and a service ace, 26-24.
