Mustangs Face Big Test This Week Against UCSB, Hawai’i
10/11/2023 5:08:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
WEEKLY NOTES (PDF)
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — It's a big week for Cal Poly volleyball this week. The Mustangs will face both teams who are one and two in the Big West standings. Cal Poly, who tied for second right now in the standings, will first head south to Goleta to face their rival in first-place, 6-0 UCSB Thursday at 7 p.m. They then return home on Saturday to face another rival over the years in Hawai'i at 7 p.m. inside Mott Athletics Center. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+. Links to those can be found on the schedule page. Saturday's match against Hawai'i is being billed as a blackout with fans who come are encouraged to wear a black shirt. The first arriving fans in attendance with receive a free black Cal Poly shirt. These matches will be crucial for the Mustangs in deciding their place in the standings heading into the Big West's first-ever postseason tournament. The top six teams during the regular season qualify for it, with the top two teams receiving a first round bye. So far, UCSB is 6-0 this season in conference play and is in first place. Hawai'i is 5-1 and is tied for second with the Mustangs. Cal Poly is currently riding a five-match win streak and is coming off road wins last week over UC Davis and UC Riverside. This week, Tommi Stockham was named Big West Offensive Player of the Week while Emme Bullis was named Big West Setter of the Week. The Mustangs have been very good at playing from behind so far this year as they already have four wins via reverse sweep. Overall, they have played seven five-set matches and are 5-2 in those matches. Offensively, the Mustangs have been led by outside hitters Lizzy Markovska and Tommi Stockham. Markovska leads the team with 3.19 kills per set while Stockham is right behind at 3.12 kills per set. Stockham has had 15 matches with double digit kills while Markovska has had 14. SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: UCSB has had a very strong season so far at 16-2 overall and 6-0 in Big West play. During non-conference play, they took down top-25 ranked Iowa State as their marquee win. In conference play, the Gauchos lead Big West teams in hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage. They are also second in the Big West and 12th in the nation in blocks. Hawai'i has won three straight matches heading into the week and are 12-5 overall and 5-1 so far in Big West play. The Mustangs have won four of the last five meetings with the Rainbow Wahine at Mott Athletics Center. Hawai'i is tops in the Big West in kills and assists while being second in hitting percentage. DEFENSE IS THE CALLING CARD: So far this season, it has been the Cal Poly's defense that has led them to wins. As a team, they rank 69th in the nation and second in the Big West in digs per set (15.37) and 64th in the nation and third in the Big West in blocks per set (2.40). Individually, libero Jolei Akima is 54th in the nation and second in the Big West in digs per set at 4.58. Meanwhile, Kate Slack ranks 26th in the country and second in the Big West in blocks with 81. DOUBLE-DOUBLE, CAL POLY STYLE: Cal Poly has had several players doing multiple things on the court and reach double-doubles. Redshirt junior outside hitter Tommi Stockham leads the team with nine double-doubles so far this season. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Lizzy Markovska is right behind her with eight double-doubles. Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore setter Emme Bullis has two double-doubles through assists and digs. YOUTH RULES: Cal Poly is one of four teams in Division I without a senior on its roster. The other three are Canisius, Baylor, and Syracuse. UP NEXT: Following this week's matches, Cal Poly will have its lone match of the season with CSUN on the road Thursday, Oct. 19 before a home match against CSU Bakersfield Saturday, Oct. 21 at 2 p.m.
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — It's a big week for Cal Poly volleyball this week. The Mustangs will face both teams who are one and two in the Big West standings. Cal Poly, who tied for second right now in the standings, will first head south to Goleta to face their rival in first-place, 6-0 UCSB Thursday at 7 p.m. They then return home on Saturday to face another rival over the years in Hawai'i at 7 p.m. inside Mott Athletics Center. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+. Links to those can be found on the schedule page. Saturday's match against Hawai'i is being billed as a blackout with fans who come are encouraged to wear a black shirt. The first arriving fans in attendance with receive a free black Cal Poly shirt. These matches will be crucial for the Mustangs in deciding their place in the standings heading into the Big West's first-ever postseason tournament. The top six teams during the regular season qualify for it, with the top two teams receiving a first round bye. So far, UCSB is 6-0 this season in conference play and is in first place. Hawai'i is 5-1 and is tied for second with the Mustangs. Cal Poly is currently riding a five-match win streak and is coming off road wins last week over UC Davis and UC Riverside. This week, Tommi Stockham was named Big West Offensive Player of the Week while Emme Bullis was named Big West Setter of the Week. The Mustangs have been very good at playing from behind so far this year as they already have four wins via reverse sweep. Overall, they have played seven five-set matches and are 5-2 in those matches. Offensively, the Mustangs have been led by outside hitters Lizzy Markovska and Tommi Stockham. Markovska leads the team with 3.19 kills per set while Stockham is right behind at 3.12 kills per set. Stockham has had 15 matches with double digit kills while Markovska has had 14. SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: UCSB has had a very strong season so far at 16-2 overall and 6-0 in Big West play. During non-conference play, they took down top-25 ranked Iowa State as their marquee win. In conference play, the Gauchos lead Big West teams in hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage. They are also second in the Big West and 12th in the nation in blocks. Hawai'i has won three straight matches heading into the week and are 12-5 overall and 5-1 so far in Big West play. The Mustangs have won four of the last five meetings with the Rainbow Wahine at Mott Athletics Center. Hawai'i is tops in the Big West in kills and assists while being second in hitting percentage. DEFENSE IS THE CALLING CARD: So far this season, it has been the Cal Poly's defense that has led them to wins. As a team, they rank 69th in the nation and second in the Big West in digs per set (15.37) and 64th in the nation and third in the Big West in blocks per set (2.40). Individually, libero Jolei Akima is 54th in the nation and second in the Big West in digs per set at 4.58. Meanwhile, Kate Slack ranks 26th in the country and second in the Big West in blocks with 81. DOUBLE-DOUBLE, CAL POLY STYLE: Cal Poly has had several players doing multiple things on the court and reach double-doubles. Redshirt junior outside hitter Tommi Stockham leads the team with nine double-doubles so far this season. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Lizzy Markovska is right behind her with eight double-doubles. Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore setter Emme Bullis has two double-doubles through assists and digs. YOUTH RULES: Cal Poly is one of four teams in Division I without a senior on its roster. The other three are Canisius, Baylor, and Syracuse. UP NEXT: Following this week's matches, Cal Poly will have its lone match of the season with CSUN on the road Thursday, Oct. 19 before a home match against CSU Bakersfield Saturday, Oct. 21 at 2 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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