Cal Poly Travels to Portland Tournament, Seeks Best Start Since 2001
9/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Armed with a 5-1 start to open a schedule for the first time since 2006, Cal Poly volleyball concludes its seasons-opening, nine-match road swing when traveling north this week to take part in the four-team North Harbour Marriott Invitational in Portland, Oregon inside the Chiles Center.
The Mustangs will open up against Idaho at 7 p.m. PT Friday and square off against both St. Francis Brooklyn (1 p.m.) and host Portland (7 p.m.) Saturday. Cal Poly opened the 2001 season with a record of 8-1.
All three matches during the Portland Tournament can be followed via live stats on GoPoly.com by clicking HERE.
After sweeping both Coppin State and Sam Houston State at last weekend's Baylor Tournament, Cal Poly dropped the initial two sets against Baylor on Saturday afternoon and forced a fourth set before falling, 3-1. It was the first defeat for the Mustangs this season and head coach Sam Crosson was pleased with the way his side battled back against the Bears.
"We had opportunities to take the first set," Crosson said. "Baylor played well. I was pleased with the way our players responded to dropping the opening two sets."
Cal Poly freshman outside hitter Adlee Van Winden collected 61 kills during last week's four matches – which included a career-high 20 kills against Fresno State on Tuesday – earning her a second consecutive Big West Conference Freshman Player of the Week honor.
CAL POLY VERSUS PORTLAND TOURNAMENT OPPONENTS: The Mustangs have played two of their three upcoming opponents before, including Idaho (Cal Poly leads series, 15-6) and Portland (Cal Poly leads 2-1). The last battle against the Vandals came back on Aug. 30, 2012 when the Cal Poly won in five sets, 3-2. The last matchup for the Mustangs against the Pilots was Sept. 18, 2010 and resulted in a four-set, Cal Poly victory. The Mustangs have never before played St. Francis Brooklyn at the Division I level in volleyball.
SCOUTING IDAHO: The Vandals (1-5) have beaten one opponent this season (a sweep of Seattle), while being swept in four of their five defeats. Idaho has already played two Big West Conference teams this season, falling to both Hawai'i (3-0) and UC Irvine (3-2). A trio of seniors leads the Vandals this season, including outside hitter Katelyn Peterson (57 kills) Meredith Coba (101 assists) and Jenna Ellis (66 digs).
SCOUTING ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN: The Terriers are coming off their first victory of the season on Monday afternoon (3-0 over Saint Peter's University) to improve to 1-7 overall. Niehely Sosa collected a team-best 10 kills against SPU, while Angela Hudelson tallied 18 assists on Monday.
SCOUTING PORTLAND: The Pilots dropped their first match of the season against (3-1 to Wisconsin-Green Bay) and have since collected five straight victories. Portland has already played one Big West opponent this season, which resulted in a three-set sweep of the Highlanders last Saturday. Sophomore outside hitter Hannah Troutman leads the Pilots with 84 kills this season, while junior setter Djurdjina Milovic has amassed an incredible 243 assists and junior Monica Gajda leads the way with 99 digs.
ADLEE ALREADY ACHIEVING: During her first six collegiate matches, Cal Poly freshman outside hitter Adlee Van Winden is taking the collegiate volleyball world by storm. Only one match has Van Winden failed to collect a double-digit kill total, which includes three 14-kill efforts and career-best 20 against Fresno State last Tuesday. Van Winden leads all Mustang attackers with 89 kills this season and an average of 3.87 per set. The freshman was named – for the second week in a row – the Big West Conference Freshman Player of the Week after her 61 kills in four matches last week.
NELSON KNOWS ASSISTS: Sophomore Taylor Nelson has 231 assists through the season's initial six matches – an average of 11 per set – good for second among all Big West Conference players heading into the week. Against Baylor on Saturday, Nelson produced a season-high 49 assists and 13 digs during a four-set loss and in only one set against Coppin State, the sophomore tallied 18 helpers. Nelson's performance against Fresno State on Tuesday was something to be marveled at – 44 assists, 12 digs, six kills and five blocks – during Cal Poly's five-set victory. The sophomore has now totaled over 1,100 assists during her collegiate career, after an 880-assist campaign as a freshman last season.
WHAT'S NEXT (SEPT. 7-13): Cal Poly contests its first two home matches of the season when entertaining San Diego State at 7 p.m. Friday and Loyola Marymount at 4 p.m. Saturday inside the Mott Athletics Center. Last season, the Mustangs collected six of their nine victories in San Luis Obispo.
