25-7,14-4Big West
UC Davis
21-7,16-2Big West
Cal Poly Volleyball Dominates to Earn Big West Championship and NCAA Berth
11/29/2025 9:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
LONG BEACH, Calif. — For the second time in as many years, the Cal Poly Mustangs are Big West Volleyball Champions, this time securing the postseason tournament title and its most important prize: an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
The second-seeded Mustangs upset top-seeded UC Davis in a decisive 3-1 victory (25-16, 25-21, 20-25, 25-15), powered by a pair of record-setting team performances. Chloe Leluge, who committed just one error on 57 attacks for a .561 hitting percentage and tallied a team-leading 33 kills through the tournament, was named the Big West Championship MVP.
Cal Poly (25-7, 14-4 Big West) earned its first automatic NCAA Tournament qualification since 2019 and its seventh overall conference title in the program’s Division I era, securing a spot in its 17th NCAA Tournament.
The opening set began as a back-and-forth battle with multiple early ties and lead changes. The Mustangs took control by breaking the deadlock with a 9-3 run; six of those points came from Kendall Beshear’s powerful serves, which forced UC Davis to use both of its timeouts by the time Cal Poly led 18-12. Despite a slight push from the Aggies, the Mustangs closed out the set 25-16, backed by a 76% sideout rate.
A pair of 4-1 runs to start the second set gave Cal Poly a sizable lead, but UC Davis quickly responded, pulling within two points on multiple occasions. The Mustangs received defensive stops from all over the court, holding the Aggies' star-studded offense below a .200 hitting percentage for the second straight set, while Emma Fredrick, Ella Scott, and Beshear all contributed from the service line. Cal Poly closed out the frame 25-21 to take a commanding two-set lead.
UC Davis finally established its first substantial lead of the match in the third set, opening with a 7-3 run that prompted a Cal Poly timeout. The Mustangs tenaciously clawed back point by point, nearly erasing the deficit with a 9-4 run that forced a UC Davis timeout. After the break, Cal Poly tied the set at 18-18 for the first time since 3-3. However, the Aggies rallied with four straight points to win the set 25-20 and extend the match.
The fourth set remained a back-and-forth affair until the Mustangs entered the media timeout with a 15-12 lead. Sparked by a 4-2 run out of the break, Cal Poly created separation, forcing UC Davis to burn its final timeout. The Mustangs then raced to an even more dominant finish than their first set, sealing the Big West Championship and the NCAA berth with a 25-15 victory.
The NCAA Selection Show will air on Sunday at 3 p.m. PT. The Women’s Volleyball team will host a watch party at the Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex to celebrate their official entry into the NCAA Tournament and learn their next opponent.
