Saturday, September 9
Harrisonburg, VA
2 P.M.
5-4,0-0Big West
3
vs
2
VCU
3-4,0-0Atlantic 10
1
2
3
4
5
F
Cal Poly
21
22
25
25
15
3
VCU
25
25
19
21
12
2
Team Stats
CPO
VCU
Kills
51
61
Errors
23
36
Attempts
162
178
Hitting %
.173
.140
Points
77.0
77.0
Assists
46
57
Aces
9
5
Blocks
17
11
Game Leaders
Kills
16
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
12
Aces
2
Blocks
6
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
7
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
Mustangs Complete Reverse Sweep Comeback Victory Over VCU
9/9/2023 7:02:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HARRISONBURG, Va. – Behind double doubles from both Tommi Stockham and Lizzy Markovska as well as a season-high 17 blocks as a team, the Cal Poly volleyball team came back from down 0-2 to win the final three sets, including a 6-1 run to finish the fifth set and reverse sweep VCU Saturday 3-2 (21-25, 22-25, 25-19-25-21, 15-12) to wrap up the Dukes invitational.
The Mustangs' (5-4) defense is what kept them in and ultimately won them the match, holding the Rams (3-4) to a .140 hitting percentage for the match in addition to the 17 blocks. Four Mustangs finished with at least six blocks: redshirt junior Kate Slack tied her career-high with seven, redshirt junior Amy Hiatt set her career-high with seven, and Stockham and redshirt freshman Tess Masingale both had a career-high six blocks. In the back row, it was once again redshirt junior libero Jolei Akima leading the way with 20 digs.
Markovska led the way offensively for Cal Poly with 16 kills to go along with 14 digs and two blocks. Stockham added 12 kills and 14 digs as well as a pair of aces in addition to her six blocks. Slack chipped in a season-high nine kills with her seven blocks.
With Cal Poly up 6-5 in the first set, VCU took a five-point lead after scoring six straight points to go up 11-6. After the Rams went up as much as eight, the Mustangs eventually cut the lead down to two at 23-21. However, VCU then scored the next two points to win the set 25-21.
The second set started off well for Cal Poly as the Mustangs got out to a 9-4 lead. With Cal Poly ahead 17-13, the set turned in favor of VCU after the Rams went on a 9-3 run to go up 22-20. The Mustangs got back within one at 23-22 before the Rams scored consecutive points to win the set 25-22.
The Mustangs turned things around in the third, getting out to a 5-0 lead. Cal Poly stretched its lead to as much as nine at 21-12 before going on to take the third set 25-19.
Down 4-3 in the fourth set, the Mustangs went on a 6-1 run to go ahead 9-5. VCU responded with a 6-1 run to go back up 11-10. With Cal Poly up 17-16, the Mustangs scored four of the next five points to go ahead by four at 21-17. VCU got it down to two at 22-20 before the Mustangs finished the set on a 3-1 run to win it 25-21 and force a deciding fifth set.
The fifth set was an incredible comeback for the Mustangs. In the race to 15, the Rams took an 8-3 lead to start. Cal Poly battled back with a 6-1 run to tie it at 9-9. VCU scored the next two points before the Mustangs roared ahead, finishing the set on a 6-1 run to win it 15-12 and complete the comeback victory.
Having now completed their nine-match road trip to start the season, the Mustangs will finally have a chance to play at home for the first time this season next week when they host their own tournament, the Mustang Invitational. They will host three strong opponents in Washington, Saint Mary's, and Pepperdine at Mott Athletics Center for a three-day tournament Thursday through Saturday.
The Mustangs will face Washington on Thursday at 7 p.m. for the home opener. That will be followed by Saint Mary's at 6 p.m. on Friday and Pepperdine at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are available for purchase at GoPoly.com/tickets. The matches will also be streamed live on ESPN+.
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