Wichita State
Mustangs Head to Wichita, KS for Final Non-Conference Tournament
9/18/2024 3:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Riding a three-game win streak, the Cal Poly Mustangs (5-3) continue on the road once more with their final non-conference tournament of the season. The green and gold will place a trio of matches beginning with hosts Wichita State on Friday, following with Omaha and Northern Colorado the next two days.
Previously…
After closing the Plainsman Invitational with a definitive shutout victory over Troy, the Mustangs continued dominating the competition with back-to-back sweeps.
With the help of Tommi Stockham's 13-kills, Cal Poly took down UNLV in a 25-22, 25-22, 25-21 show of force to bring its record back to a winning slant.
Emme Bullis, reigning Big West Setter of the Week at the time, flashed her versatility as a setter and defensive expert, tallying 29 set assists - the seventh time this season she has collected at least 28 - while also co-leading Cal Poly with nine digs.
The Mustangs then flipped a three-game losing streak into a three-game winning streak with a reverse sweep over North Texas.
Stockham was awarded All-Tournament Team MVP (3.50 K/S, 2.75 DIG/S, 5 SA) while Bullis also received an All-Tournament Team nod (9.88 A/S, 2.00 DIG/S, 5 SA).
For the fourth time in her career, Bullis hit the half-century set assist mark in single game, tallying 50 assists against North Texas.
During that third consecutive win, two Mustangs tallied double-doubles: the third of the season from Stockham (15 K, 17 DIG) while extending her double-digit kills streak to eight games, just as Beshear (15 K, 23 DIG) tallied her first career double-double.
Beshear's 23 digs was tied for the most by a Cal Poly player this season, tied for sixth-most in a single game by a Big West player this season, and the most by a Mustang pin hitter since 2021.
After a stellar weekend in Las Vegas Tommi Stockham of @calpolyvolley has been named the @mechanicsbank Student-Athlete of the week. Tommi was the Dig in the Desert Tournament MVP averaging 3.50 K/S, 2.75 DIG/S with??Double-Doubles. #RideHigh pic.twitter.com/1oHQ7bINTs
— Cal Poly Mustangs (@CPMustangs) September 17, 2024
at Wichita State - Sept. 19, 5 p.m. (PT)
Having gone 3-6 on the season thus far, the Shockers are playing an even more difficult schedule than Cal Poly this season.
Four of their six losses have included ranked teams (#13 Kansas, #21 Arkansas, #14 Arizona State, #5 Nebraska) with another match dropped against perennial Big West contender Long Beach State.
For all their troubles, Wichita State has still managed to fight hard against some of the country's finest programs, nearly holding an average hitting percentage (.199) despite a losing record.
Cal Poly holds an undefeated 5-0 record historically over Wichita State and will be looking to extend that as the Mustangs open their final non-conference tournament of 2024 against the Shockers.
vs. Omaha (N) - Sept. 20, Noon (PT)
The Mavericks have experienced a very rough start to the season with a 1-7 record. However, that one win came in a 3-2 stunner over UC Santa Barbara of all teams.
Otherwise, Omaha has recently dropped contests to other California teams in Long Beach State and Pepperdine.
Before that, the Mavericks began the season with five consecutive losses before finding a win against the Gauchos.
The solid Mustangs defense will be looking to continue holding the Mavericks to their paltry .142 hitting percentage.
This will be the first time Cal Poly and Omaha have ever faced off against one another.
vs. Northern Colorado (N) - Sept. 21, 10 a.m. (PT)
The Golden Bears have fought to a fantastic 8-2 record thus far in the season with their only losses coming against a pair of tough SEC opponents.
One of those opponents, Ole Miss, they had actually beaten just two days beforehand, taking a 3-2 victory over the power-5 opponent.
Northern Colorado is also on a three-game win streak with the most recent tournament earning wins against Colorado, Air Force, and Denver.
For her part in it, star Northern Colorado middle blocker Maddie Davies was awarded Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week.
She has hit .470, averaging 3.69 kills per set over the 13 games. Davies also recorded at least .400 hitting percentage during all three contests.
Final non-conference tournament on the horizon!
— Cal Poly Volleyball (@CalPolyVolley) September 16, 2024
We travel to Kansas for a three-game road trip before @BigWestSports conference play begins next week ???#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/BVDdrJAc7u
