20-5,11-2Big West
Long Beach State
17-7,10-3Big West
Cal Poly Clinches Postseason Berth with 17th Straight Home Win
11/7/2025 9:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
SAN LUIS OBISPO — The Mustangs extended their dominant run at Mott Athletics Center, notching a 17th consecutive home win and improving their nation-leading record to 13-0. With the victory, the Mustangs also clinched a spot in the Big West Championship field.
Playing in front of their largest home crowd of the season (1,200+), the Mustangs swept Long Beach State (25-19, 25-18, 25-20) behind Annabelle Thalken’s team-leading 10 kills and a historic performance from Chloe Leluge, who became the program's current Division I record holder for career hitting percentage.
Leluge, having officially surpassed the minimum 800 hitting attempts threshold, hit above .300 for the 20th time this season and raised her career mark to .367, far surpassing Kari DeSoto’s previous program record of .355.
The Mustangs (20-5, 11-2 Big West) also eclipsed 20 wins for the third straight season and fourth time under head coach Caroline Walters. The victory canceled Long Beach State's tiebreaker over them and gave Cal Poly sole possession of second place in the Big West standings.
From the first serve, the Mustangs never trailed, capitalizing on Long Beach State errors and securing four service aces. Cal Poly sprinted to a 14-4 lead, but the Beach responded with a 10-4 run to close within four points before the Mustangs sealed the first set 25-19 on an ace from Emma Fredrick.
The second set was far more competitive, featuring eight ties as the Beach found their footing. After Long Beach State pulled within two points at 19-17, the Mustangs closed the set on a 6-1 run to take a firm 2-0 match lead.
Cal Poly completed the sweep in the third set, though the Beach fought hard to extend the match, again narrowing the gap to 19-17. The Mustangs answered with a decisive 6-3 surge to clinch the victory, their 15th sweep this season.
Emme Bullis, now just 39 assists away from the 4,000 milestone, orchestrated the offense with 31 assists while adding three kills, two aces, and five digs. Kendall Beshear contributed seven kills and Charlotte Kelly had eight.
Defensively, Fredrick shined in the back row and service reception with 12 digs, while Leluge was a force at the net with a team-high four total blocks to go with her six kills. The Mustangs held their opponent to a sub-.200 hitting percentage for the 16th time this season.
Now just one win behind UC Davis and one ahead of Long Beach State, the Mustangs will aim to extend their home streak to 18 straight wins against UC San Diego on Saturday.
