8-7, 2-0BWC
Long Beach State
8-7, 1-1BWC
Cal Poly Improves to 2-0 in BWC after Blanking Long Beach State
9/28/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Cal Poly volleyball team had three players tally 10 or more kills as the team hit .347 in a three set sweep over Long Beach State in a Big West Conference match on Saturday in Mott Athletics Center in front of 1023 fans.
Cal Poly won by set scores of 25-18, 27-25 and 25-23. The Mustangs return to the court on Saturday, Oct. 5 when the team travels to Central Coast rival, UC Santa Barbara, for a Big West Conference match.
With the win, the Mustangs improve to 2-0 in Big West Conference play and 8-7 overall while Long Beach State falls to 8-7 overall and 1-1 in conference matches.
Senior Chelsea Hardin led a trio of players, who recorded 10 or more kills, for the Mustangs with 15 kills. Her kills came on 31 swings with just three errors (.387). Freshman Taylor Gruenewald had 12 kills on 23 swings (.391), but it was senior Megan McConnell with the hottest hand with 11 kills on 20 swings with one error (.500).
Sophomore Maddie Kuber dished out 43 assists and added four assisted blocks while senior Steffi Sooter led the team with 10 digs. Senior Jennifer Keddy had a pair of aces and four total blocks (one solo). Gruenewald was credited with five assisted blocks.
LBSU was led by Chisom Okpala with 11 kills with Alex Reid adding 10 kills. Delainey Aigner-Swesey led the team with12 digs.
Cal Poly as a team had 55 kills on 118 swings (14 errors) while LBSU hit .225 for the match. The Mustangs held an edge in blocks, 10-5, and in aces, 3-2, while LBSU held the advantage in digs, 44-42.
The Mustangs opened the first set on a kill by Hardin and never relinquished the lead. Cal Poly held its largest lead of the set on the closing point, 25-18, on a kill by McConnell.
In the second set LBSU held a 9-6 advantage when the Mustangs came back to tie the set at 11-11 on a kill by McConnell. The teams would battle back and forth with neither team gaining a three point advantage. The Mustangs fought off one set point (23-24) and would go on a 4-1 run to close out the set, 27-25, on a kill by Keddy.
Midway through the third set, the Mustangs held a 16-11 lead when LBSU went on a 5-0 run to tie it up at 16-16. The teams traded points until Cal Poly held a 24-22 lead on a kill by Hardin. LBSU put away the next point, but an assisted block by Keddy and Hardin closed the set and the match for the Mustangs.
