Mustangs Travel to CSUN, Host CSU Bakersfield This Week

Thursday, October 19

Northridge, CA

6 P.M.

CSUN

Mustangs Travel to CSUN, Host CSU Bakersfield This Week

10/18/2023 6:44:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

WEEKLY NOTES (PDF)

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly volleyball continues conference play this week with a pair of matches, one on the road and one at home as they look to climb higher in the Big West standings.

The Mustangs (11-9, 5-3 BW) will travel down to Northridge to take on CSUN Thursday at 6 p.m. before returning home Saturday to host CSU Bakersfield at 2 p.m.

Thursday's match against CSUN will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Saturday's match against the Roadrunners will be an audio-only broadcast via GoPoly.com with Daniel Gillman providing play-by-play. Links to all those can be found on the schedule page of GoPoly.com.

Cal Poly will be looking to get back in the win column this week after falling to first-place UCSB and second-place Hawai'i last week. Currently, the Mustangs sit in fourth in the Big West standings, one match behind third-place Long Beach State.

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 3.23 kills per set while Stockham is right behind at 3.11 kills per set. Both are ranked in the top eight in the Big West in kills per set.

Stockham has had 16 matches with double digit kills while Markovska has had 15. Two weeks ago, Stockham surpassed 1,000 kills for her Cal Poly career.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: The Matadors are 4-15 overall and 2-6 in conference play so far. However, they have won two of their last three and have a win over third-place Long Beach State during that span.

CSU Bakersfield is 6-14 overall this year and 2-6 in Big West play. They head into this week coming off a 3-0 win over Cal State Fullerton which snapped a six-match losing skid. Cal Poly is 9-2 all-time against the Roadrunners.

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 64th in the nation and second in the Big West in blocks per set (2.40) and 83rd in the nation and second in the Big West in digs per set (15.11)

Individually, libero Jolei Akima is 61st in the nation and second in the Big West in digs per set at 4.48. Meanwhile, Kate Slack ranks 34th in the country and third in the Big West in blocks with 88.

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 three 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 hit the road for its next two matches the following weekend at Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine.