Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics
Weekly Mustang Roundup: September 29-October 5
9/29/2025 4:45:00 PM | General
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Oct 30, 2025 at 11 A.M.
Women's Basketball vs
Simpson University (Calif.)
THIS WEEK IN MUSTANG ATHLETICS
- Coming off a stunning upset victory over future FBS program No. 21 Sacramento State, Cal Poly football rides the momentum into its Homecoming game this Saturday against UC Davis.
- In the midst of a five-match unbeaten streak that includes a recent Blue-Green rivalry draw, the Mustangs host UC Davis on Wednesday for a matchup televised on ESPNU.
- Women's Soccer aims for a third straight Big West victory when they host Cal State Bakersfield—a former team of Bernardo Silva—at Spanos Stadium on Thursday as part of Alumni Weekend.
- After completing a perfect 8-0 homestand, Cal Poly volleyball hits the road for the first time in three weeks for conference matches at UC San Diego and Long Beach State.
- The reigning Big West champion Cal Poly Cross Country teams, who swept the Gaucho Twilight titles two weeks ago, head to the Lakefront Invitational in Chicago.
- Both Men's and Women's Tennis compete in their respective Big West Masters Qualifier tournaments this weekend, with the men at UC Santa Barbara and the women at UC San Diego.
#RIDEHIGH MOMENTS
WEEKLY SNEAK PEEK
Football Welcomes No. 7 UC Davis for Homecoming
- Cal Poly football picked up a big win on Saturday, knocking off No. 21 Sacramento State in its Big Sky opener, 32-24.
- Senior safety Brian Dukes Jr. had two interceptions in the game, including a pick-six to get the Mustangs on the scoreboard. For his performance, he was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week. Offensively, quarterback Bo Kelly made his first start of the year and finished 17-for-27 for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Jordan Garrison finished with two receiving touchdowns, while running back Tyrei Washington ran for 113 yards and a score.
- Cal Poly now gets ready to host rival No. 7 UC Davis on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Mustang Memorial Field at Spanos Stadium. The game will air live on ESPN+.
- Saturday’s game is also Homecoming. The first two thousand fans will receive a slap koozie. Also new this year for students is the chance to win one quarter of in-state tuition. Each of the first 2,500 students to arrive will receive a raffle ticket to enter to win. The winner will be announced after the third quarter.
Men's Soccer Hosts UC Davis in ESPNU Clash
- Cal Poly carries a five-match unbeaten streak into its Big West opener against UC Davis this Wednesday, Oct. 1, at Mustang Memorial Field. The match kicks off at 7 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
- During this five-match run, the Mustangs have outscored opponents 12-2. The defense has not conceded a goal in 297 minutes, a streak that includes a scoreless draw against Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara on Saturday in front of more than 7,000 fans.
- Cal Poly also brings a 12-match home unbeaten streak into Wednesday's contest. Dating back to 2023, the team has recorded eight shutouts and allowed only five goals during this stretch at Mustang Memorial Field.
Women’s Soccer Returns Home Eyeing Third Straight Victory
- Fresh off back-to-back Big West victories and shutouts, the Cal Poly women’s soccer team returns to Spanos Stadium this Thursday to host Cal State Bakersfield (4-5-1, 1-1-0 Big West) at 7 p.m. as part of its Alumni Weekend festivities.
- The Mustangs (4-1-7, 2-1-0 Big West) are hitting their stride in conference play and are now tied for second place in the standings with six points. Last week, Cal Poly earned a 2-0 triumph at home over UC San Diego before securing a hard-fought 1-0 road win against UC Davis on Sunday.
- Junior forward Annika Smith was named the Big West Offensive Player of the Week for her performance, contributing directly to all three of the Mustangs' goals across the two victories. Smith scored two goals and added an assist, netting the game-winner in both matches. Against UCSD, she tallied a goal and an assist, scoring the decisive goal in the 53rd minute. She then secured the 1-0 win at UC Davis with a goal in the 67th minute. The Scottsdale, Arizona native now has five goals, tied for second-most in the conference, and 12 points, tied for third in the Big West.
- Redshirt freshman Shannon Porubski earned Big West Freshman of the Week honors for the second time this season after posting two shutouts. Porubski has recorded four clean sheets this year, holds a 4-1-2 record in net, and boasts a .767 save percentage with a 1.00 goals against average.
- Senior forward Jessie Halladay leads the Big West in goals (6), shots (44), and points (14). Graduate student midfielder Madelyn Dougherty has been equally vital to the Mustangs' success, recording three goals and a conference-leading six assists.
- Cal Poly remains unbeaten at home this season (1-0-4) through five matches, marking its longest home unbeaten streak since a six-match run in 2022 (4-0-2).
- Thursday’s match holds special significance for Cal Poly head coach Bernardo Silva, who served as head coach at Cal State Bakersfield for two seasons (2023-24) before taking over the Mustangs' program.
- Tickets to Thursday’s match can be purchased here and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Volleyball Looks to Extend Eight-Match Win Streak on the Road
- Mustangs volleyball continued their dominant run at home, securing a pair sweeps. In the first match, the Mustangs defeated CSUN, extending their impressive home win streak to seven games on the back of a strong all-around team performance. They followed this up with another sweep, this time over Cal State Bakersfield, in a match highlighted by a standout serving performance from Haberfield, who recorded a career-high six aces to lead the team to victory.
- After coming into the week receiving votes in the AVCA poll, the Mustangs saw their RPI remain in the top-50 (49) for a second consecutive week. Cal Poly now has a 11-3 overall record and stands atop the Big West standings (2-0) while riding an eight-match win streak, all at home. The current win streak is Cal Poly's longest since 2018 (18 matches).
- Charlotte Kelly was a model of efficiency throughout the weekend. In the match against CSUN, she racked up a career-high 11 kills with just a single error on 17 attempts for a remarkable .588 hitting percentage. She followed this up with another flawless display against Cal State Bakersfield, adding 7 kills with zero errors on 12 attempts (.583 hitting percentage).
- Kendall Beshear opened the weekend with a powerful performance against CSUN, leading the team with 12 kills and a stellar .462 hitting percentage without a single error on 26 attempts. Against Cal State Bakersfield, she once again led the team with 11 kills, while also adding 2 block assists and 4 digs.
- Elif Hurriyet was a defensive stalwart for the Mustangs against CSUN, leading the team with 15 digs. She followed this with another strong defensive showing against Cal State Bakersfield, recording a team-leading 10 digs. She also tied the team’s backup setter for second-most set assists over the weekend.
- The Mustangs now head on the road for the first time in three weeks, traveling to UC San Diego and Long Beach State, two of the conference's best programs over the past few years.
Cross Country Heads to Midwest for Second Meet of Season
- The Cal Poly cross country program is back in action this Friday as both the men’s and women’s teams are set to compete in the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational hosted by University of Loyola Chicago at Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course in Chicago.
- The Mustangs are looking to build off a stellar season opener two weeks ago when the team swept the men’s and women’s titles at the Gaucho Twilight on Sept. 19. The Cal Poly women rolled to a decisive 28-point victory over second-place UC Santa Barbara, sweeping the top three places in the 6K race and having seven runners finish in the top 10 to end the day with an impressive 17 points, 2 points away from a perfect score of 15. The Cal Poly men won by 9 points and showcased their depth as three runners finished in the top six, while all three Mustang freshmen that ran unattached finished in the top seven.
- Junior Kelli Gaffney won the women’s 6K individual title at the Gaucho Twilight with a time of 21:14.7. The performance earned her Big West Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors for the first time. Redshirt sophomore Dheeraj Gurusamy was the top scoring runner for the Cal Poly men at the meet, placing second in the men’s 8K with a time of 24:22.5 to secure Big West Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week praise for the first time.
- Some of Cal Poly’s top runners are set to make their season debut this Friday in Chicago — Michael Chambers, Spencer Pickren, Rory Catsimanes, Bryce Kueker and Isabel Sanchez.
- Following this week’s action, the Mustangs will split the squad between a pair of meets on Saturday, Oct. 18, sending their top runners to the NCAA Pre-Nationals meet in Missouri and the rest of the team to the Bronco Invitational hosted by Santa Clara.
Men's Tennis Takes on Big West Fall Invite
- The Mustangs enjoyed a relatively successful first tournament at the Sherwood Collegiate Cup over the weekend, putting together a winning 14-8 record in singles, which included matchups against top-40 national programs.
- Jovan Lubbe, Raz Haviv, and Sean Kamyshev all earned a trio of victories and came into Sunday's final rounds unbeaten, Luc Hoeijmans also finished with three wins by the end of the tourney and Jack Cross earned a pair.
- Cal Poly now heads to the Big West Masters Qualifier, hosted by UC Santa Barbara. It is a men's and women's tennis tournament in which each team puts forth its four best players, and the team that wins from each gender will automatically qualify for the ITA Conference Masters Championships in November, which then feeds into the fall NCAA Championships.
Women’s Tennis Opens Fall Season This Week
- Looking to build off yet another historic campaign, the Cal Poly women’s tennis program opens the fall portion of its 2025-26 season this Thursday through Sunday at the Big West Masters Qualifier hosted by UC San Diego.
- All 10 Big West teams are slated to compete in the event, which features a 64-player single elimination singles main draw, and a 32-team main draw bracket for doubles.
- Nine of Cal Poly’s 11 players are scheduled to take part in the season-opening tournament, including returning All-Big West honorees Kennedy Buntrock, Natalie Lynch and Jessica MacCallum.
- Last year, Cal Poly advanced to the Big West Championship match for a program-record fifth consecutive time and finished with an impressive 19-5 record, the second most wins in a season in the program's Division I history, the fifth most all-time and the most since going 20-7 in 2003. The Mustangs also achieved a national ranking of 38th during the season, tied for the second highest ranking in the program’s history and the best in 14 years. Cal Poly finished the year ranked No. 59 in the final ITA poll, the team’s third highest ranking to end a season and best since 2011.
- Cal Poly returns seven players from last year’s team — seniors Kennedy Buntrock, Sarah MacCallum, and Alexandra Ozerets, redshirt junior Amy Leather, junior Natalie Lynch and sophomore Jessica MacCallum.
- The Mustangs have four newcomers this season — junior Candela Aparisi (a transfer from Oregon) and freshmen Tia Bonita Jakupovic-Kljako, Aspen Chung and Olivia Mlouk.
- Following this weekend’s tournament, Cal Poly travels back to Southern California on Oct. 16-21 to take part in the ITA Southwest Regionals hosted by University of San Diego.
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Sunday, October 12
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Wednesday, October 08
