Cal Poly Volleyball Enters NCAA Regional Semifinals Versus One-Seed Kentucky

Thursday, December 11

Lexington, KY

12:30 PM

Kentucky

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Photo by: Romeo Galvan

Cal Poly Volleyball Enters NCAA Regional Semifinals Versus One-Seed Kentucky

12/10/2025 1:40:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — The Mustangs are poised for another improbable run as they face host and top-seeded Kentucky in the NCAA Regional Semifinals on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. PT.

Stepping into this NCAA Sweet 16 match against Kentucky is a moment that floods us with everything we’ve felt and built within this program for years. We ask the girls to pour into each other daily, and to see that love and trust show up as aggressive, fearless volleyball, played with passion and smiles means everything.

Head Coach Caroline Walters

The Story So Far

Cal Poly earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament after a historic season. The team completed a perfect 15-0 home record, extending a 19-match win streak dating to 2024, the second-best in program history. They also recorded their third consecutive season with 14 conference wins, finishing second only to UC Davis in the regular-season standings.

As the two-seed in the Big West Championship, the Mustangs dominated host Long Beach State before decisively defeating top-seed UC Davis to secure the program’s 18th NCAA postseason appearance.

In the tournament’s opening rounds, Cal Poly became the lowest seed and only the second mid-major this season to reach the Sweet 16. They achieved this by defeating five-seed BYU and four-seed host USC in back-to-back five-set marathons within 24 hours.

This marks the program’s seventh Sweet 16 appearance overall and its second under the current 64-team format, with the last third-round trip occurring in 2007. The Mustangs’ 27 wins are the most under Head Coach Caroline Walters and the program’s highest total since 2017.

We’re incredibly proud to represent mid-majors on a national stage, especially in a landscape where that climb gets harder every year. This moment isn’t just a match, it’s a testament to who we are, what we’ve overcome, and why we believe so deeply in this team.

Head Coach Caroline Walters

Mustangs Riding High

Cal Poly boasts one of the nation’s most efficient offenses, ranking 18th in hitting percentage (.278) after 13 consecutive weeks in the top 25. A key contributor is AVCA All-Pacific Region Honorable Mention Chloe Leluge, who ranks second in the Big West and 36th nationally with a .383 hitting percentage.

Leluge’s .372 career hitting percentage would lead the program’s Division I era by 17 points, and her current season rate places her in the top 10 in program history. A true two-way middle blocker, she co-leads the team and the conference with 130 total blocks. After committing just one error on 57 attacks in the Big West Championship, she was named tournament MVP and later to Michella Chester's NCAA Rotation of the Week.

Other essential contributors include Emme Bullis, Kendall Beshear, Emma Fredrick, Annabelle Thalken, Charlotte Kelly, and Elif Hurriyet.

The redshirt senior captain Bullis set a Big West Championship single-match record with 51 assists against Long Beach State. She recently moved to #2 on Cal Poly’s career assists list (over 4,000) and set a new personal single-season high against BYU. Her 1,184 assists this season rank 17th nationally.

The lethal hitter trio of Fredrick, Beshear, and Thalken has helped propel the Mustangs to 23rd nationally in team kills. Fredrick leads the team in total kills (411) and digs (339). Beshear follows in kills (369) and digs (281) and possesses one of the nation’s most formidable jump serves, tallying 49 aces (32nd in Division I). Thalken has quietly been the team’s most efficient on the outside, leading the trio for hitting percentage (.296)

True freshman middle Kelly stepped up after a preseason injury to 2024 All-Big West First Team selection Breklyn Pulling. Thriving alongside Leluge, Kelly co-leads the team and conference in blocks (130).

An athletic and intelligent defender at libero, Hurriyet leads the team in digs per set (3.35) and has expanded her role this season, providing 91 assists as a second-touch attacker.

Previewing the Regional Semifinals

Cal Poly (27-7) now meets its toughest opponent of the season: SEC Champion and top-seed Kentucky (27-2). The Wildcats are on a 24-match win streak, including a perfect 15-0 home record in the powerful SEC. Their only losses came against fellow number-one seeds and title favorites Nebraska and Pittsburgh.

Kentucky’s statistical dominance justifies its top seed, ranking 2nd nationally in assists and kills per set, and 9th in hitting percentage. Individually, setter Kassie O’Brien ranks 2nd with 10.97 assists per set. Pins Brooklyn DeLeye and Eva Hudson, both named among ESPN.com’s top-10 players to watch in the Sweet 16, rank 10th and 18th nationally, respectively, in kills per set.

Cal Poly holds a 2-1 all-time series advantage. The teams last met in 2019 when then-No. 7 Kentucky was swept by the Mustangs. Their previous two meetings were also tournament victories for Cal Poly (1980 AIAW, 1981 National Invitational).