UC Riverside
Cal Poly Battles for Big West Regular Season Title in Final Weekend
11/20/2024 3:30:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Fresh off extending their sweep streak to four consecutive matches, the Mustangs (19-8, 12-4 BWC) are not only playing for the Big West regular season title but also a top-two spot in the conference, which would give them an automatic bye to the championship semifinals next week.
That's a WIN! Fourth straight sweep for the Mustangs!
— Cal Poly Volleyball (@CalPolyVolley) November 17, 2024
????????#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/TGHDBai0Kw
With that win over UC Irvine, not only do we temporarily occupy first place but we've CLINCHED a spot in the Big West Championship field! ??#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/EgGO2II9gJ
— Cal Poly Volleyball (@CalPolyVolley) November 17, 2024
To Clinch Bye or Not to Clinch?
Title and spot-clinching scenarios remain incredibly murky heading into the final pair of matches but will become much clearer approaching the final day of competition on Saturday. As it stands today, Cal Poly’s clear path to at least a No. 2 seed is winning out against UC Riverside and UC Davis.
Even with winning both matches to guarantee second, Hawai’i would need to drop at least one match for the Mustangs to earn their first regular season title since 2018 due to the Rainbow Wahine owning a head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Mustangs snatch a pair of Big West awards as Elif Hurriyet earns her second honor of the season with Freshman of the Week and Tommi Stockham get Offensive Player of the Week! ??#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/TSpEcI66mB
— Cal Poly Volleyball (@CalPolyVolley) November 18, 2024
Final week of regular season play is on the horizon!#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/9aQ6eQKAOq
— Cal Poly Volleyball (@CalPolyVolley) November 19, 2024
About Last Time…
Back in their place as the paragon of consistency in the conference, Cal Poly swept another pair of opponents last week to secure a spot in the Big West Championship bracket. With 14 sweeps so far this season, the Mustangs matched 2019’s totals, so pulling off a sweep against either opponent this weekend would mark a new season-high under Caroline Walters.
Tommi Stockham and Elif Hurriyet, for their fantastic efforts in helping Cal Poly to a 6-0 set score last weekend, each earned weekly nods from the Big West. In helping Cal Poly make another conference postseason, Elif Hurriyet captured her second weekly honor of the year with Big West Freshman of the Week while Tommi Stockham collected her seventh career Offensive Player of the Week nod.
The first obstacle in Cal Poly’s path to a potential first round bye is UC Riverside, an opponent the Mustangs are undefeated against through 17 matches since 2014. Cal Poly notched sweeps in 14 of those matches and is riding a nine-match sweep streak since 2018.
The Highlanders (9-20, 4-12 BWC) are not to be trifled with despite a tough record this season. Earlier in November, they stole matches from both Long Beach State and Hawai’i. Junior libero Jessica Dean is a large part of that recent success with 3.97 digs per set on the season, good for third in the conference.
One of just three Big West teams to claim a victory over Cal Poly this season, the Aggies (17-8, 12-4 BWC) have surprised everyone this season after having been predicted to finish 7th in the preseason coaches’ poll. Currently tied with the Mustangs in first place, UC Davis will likely be Cal Poly’s “final boss” in the battle for a Big West regular season title.
Since starting conference play at a roaring pace of 9-1, UC Davis is 3-3 in November with recent losses to UC San Diego, Long Beach State, and Hawai’i. The Aggies will face off against a pair of central coast opponents in UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly to finish their season.
UCD’s Mia Starr ranks as the conference’s third-best setter statistically (9.93 assists per set) while their attacking partnership of Olivia Utterback (3.61 kills per set) and Jade Light (3.51 kills per set) have kept the offense dangerous. Libero Julia Ng is fifth in the Big West with 3.78 digs per set.
