No. 6 Mustangs Win Program’s Second Straight Big West Championship

Saturday, May 1

Long Beach, Calif.

10 A.M.

Hawai'i

No. 6 Mustangs Win Program’s Second Straight Big West Championship

5/1/2021 7:37:00 PM | Beach Volleyball

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Having to fight back to win it from coming out of the loser's bracket, the Cal Poly beach volleyball team beat No. 15 Hawai'i twice in the finals to win its second straight Big West Championship.

It is the second overall Big West Championship in program history and second in a row after winning it in 2019. There was no Big West Tournament in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The No. 6 Mustangs (23-9) battled back after falling in their first match of the day against the No. 15 Rainbow Wahine 2-3. That sent them to the loser's side of the bracket in the double-elimination format tournament. From there, they beat No. 18 Long Beach State 4-1 to advance to the championship match against Hawai'i where they would have to beat them two times in a row to claim the title. The Mustangs won the first finals match 3-2 to force a deciding match, also winning that one by a score of 3-2 to clinch the championship.

During Cal Poly's win over Long Beach State, redshirt senior Emily Sonny, the program's all-time leader in career individual wins, became the first Mustang to reach 100 career wins. She currently sits at 101.

In the loss in the opening match of the day against the Rainbow Wahine, Hawai'i's No. 4 pair won the first point of the dual before the Mustangs' No. 2 duo of Jayelin Lombard and Amy Ozee won their match 21-15, 24-22 to even the score. However, Hawai'i won the next two matches at the No. 5 and No. 1 spots to clinch the dual for the Rainbow Wahine.

That set up an elimination match against No. 18 Long Beach State to decide who would advance to face Hawai'i in the championship. Cal Poly's No. 1 duo of Macy Gordon and Emily Sonny got on the board first with a straight sets 21-10, 21-15. Ozee and Lombard then made it 2-0 Mustangs after winning their match at the No. 2 position in straight sets as well 21-16, 21-14. The dual was later clinched by the No. 3 pairing of Tia Miric and Mariah Whalen after they had a three-set comeback victory 11-21, 21-17, 15-6. Also getting a win in the match was the No. 5 pair of Vanessa Roscoe and Josie Ulrich in three sets 23-21, 15-21, 15-10.

In the first match of the championship against Hawai'i, the Rainbow Wahine scored the first point of the dual after winning a closely contested match at the No. 2 spot over Lombard and Ozee 21-19, 22-20. Cal Poly evened the score after Sonny and Gordon won their match at the No. 1 position 21-14, 23-21 over Brooke Van Sickle and Amber Igiede. The Mustangs then took a 2-1 lead after Roscoe and Ulrich were victorious at the No. 5 spot Sofia Russo and Anna Maidment in three sets 22-20, 21-23, 15-8. After the Rainbow Wahine tied the dual 2-2 by winning at the No. 4 spot, the Mustangs' No. 3 duo of Miric and Whalen came up with a clutch three-set win over Harlee Kekauoha and Kylin Loker 21-16, 17-21, 15-11 to clinch the dual and force a second championship match.

The decisive second finals match against Hawai'i started how the first one ended with Miric and Whalen picking up a 21-12, 21-14 win at the No. 3 spot over Kekauoha and Loker. At the No. 2 position, Ozee and Lombard followed suit a short time later with a 21-19, 21-19 victory over Napoleon and Santer to put Cal Poly ahead 2-0. The championship was then clinched by the No. 4 duo of Sam Strah and Eleonore Johansen after they beat Kaylee Glagau and Ilihia Huddleston 21-17, 21-17.

With a 23-9 overall record, the No. 6 Mustangs will now await to hear if their name will be called for the eight-team NCAA Tournament that will be held May 7-9 in Gulf Shores, Ala. The selection show will be Sunday at 4 p.m. PT and will be streamed live on NCAA.com. There will be a selection show watch party at Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex with the selection show streamed live on the video board that is open to any fans who would like to come watch with the team.

Cal Poly will be looking to make the program's second NCAA Tournament appearance. The Mustangs made their first in 2019, the same year they won their first Big West Championship.