Mustangs Back Home This Week Against UC Davis, UC Riverside

Friday, November 12

San Luis Obispo, Calif.

7 P.M.

UC Davis

Tickets

Photo by: Owen Main

Mustangs Back Home This Week Against UC Davis, UC Riverside

11/9/2021 2:57:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Coming off a road win over then first-place UC Santa Barbara last week, the Cal Poly volleyball team will look to keep its momentum going this week when they return to Mott Athletics Center to host UC Davis and UC Riverside. The Mustangs (11-14, 9-5 BWC) will welcome the Aggies (10-15, 6-8 BWC) on Friday at 7 p.m. and the Highlanders Saturday at 2 p.m. Friday's match is Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night in which all Cal Poly faculty and staff receive free admission. Saturday's match is another 'Double Up Saturday' and fans who show their ticket to the Cal Poly football game against Idaho State get in for free. Attendees are required by the California Department of Public Health to provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken up to 72 hours prior to the event. Proof of vaccinations include the actual card, a photo of your card or a QR code verifying that you have been vaccinated. Proof of a negative test must include documentation from the testing agency. Facial coverings are required for all fans at all times, unless actively eating or drinking. No negative test is required for attendees 12 and under. For fans not able to attend in person, both matches will have live streaming video, audio, and live stats. Daniel Gillman and Maia Dvoracek will provide play-by-play for both audio and video streams. Links to all these can be found on the volleyball schedule page. Last week, Cal Poly fell on the road at CSUN 1-3 Friday before bouncing back to beat UCSB 3-1 Saturday. The win over the Gauchos was one of the Mustangs' most complete matches of the year. They set a season-high for blocks as a team with 15 and held UCSB to a season-low .097 hitting percentage. It was also Cal Poly's first four-set win of the season and the first time this year they have won a match after dropping the first set. Redshirt freshman outside hitter Tommi Stockham was dominant offensively in last week's matches. She combined for a total of 46 kills, 20 digs, two blocks, and two aces. Against CSUN, she tied her career-high with 26 kills while hitting .308 and recorded her third double-double of the season with 11 digs. Against UCSB, she finished with a match-high 20 kills and nine digs to lead the Mustangs to victory. Those two performances garnered her both Big West Offensive Player and Freshman of the Week honors for the first time this season. During conference play, Stockham is tied for first in the Big West in kills per set at 4.02 and has had double-digit kills in 10 of the last 11 matches. Stockham isn't the only Mustang among the conference leaders. Junior setter Avalon DeNecochea leads the Big West in assists per set at 10.27, freshman libero Peyton Dueck leads the conference in service aces with 36, and junior middle blocker Meredith Phillips is sixth in the Big West in blocks per set at 1.02. As a team during conference play, Cal Poly ranks third in the Big West in hitting percentage (.240), opponent hitting percentage (.180), assists per set (12.38), fourth in kills per set (13.40), and fifth in digs per set (15.38). UC Davis comes into Friday's match winners of four of its last five matches and sit tied for sixth-place in the Big West standings. Last week, the Aggies picked up wins over UC San Diego, 3-1 and UC Irvine, 3-0. As a team, UC Davis ranks third in the Big West during conference play in block per set with 2.33. They are led offensively this season by freshman outside hitter Amara Aimufua's 3.33 kills per set during conference play. The Mustangs lead the all-time series 20-12 and have won the last nine matchups, including a 3-0 at UC Davis last month. Coming off splitting a pair of home matches last week, beating UC Irvine 3-1 before losing to UC San Diego 0-3, UC Riverside is 2-12 this year in Big West play. Cal Poly swept the Highlanders earlier this season down in Riverside to improve their all-time record to 31-8 against UC Riverside and have won the last 13 matches.