11-6,7-0Big West
California Baptist
3-15,0-7Big West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Baptist | 25 | 15 | 26 | 19 | 10 | 2 |
| Cal Poly | 15 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Walters Ties Wilton as the Mustangs Go Seven Straight in Conference Play
10/16/2026 10:45:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Caroline Walters earned her 143rd career victory, tying Mike Wilton for the most by a Mustang volleyball head coach, during a five-set thriller over California Baptist at home inside Mott Athletics Center.
Cal Poly volleyball rallied from a 2-1 set deficit and held off a determined Cal Baptist squad for the 3-2 (15-25, 25-15, 24-26, 25-19, 15-10) win Friday evening, extending the Mustangs' conference start to seven straight victories, their best in Big West play since 2019. The program has one perfect conference season (16-0) in its history, under now-associate head coach Sam Crosson in 2017.
The Mustangs (11-6, 7-0 Big West) dropped the opening set decisively but responded with an equally dominant second frame to even the match. The third set turned into a back-and-forth battle that saw California Baptist (3-15, 0-7 Big West) fight off set point and steal it 26-24, taking a 2-1 lead into the fourth. Cal Poly answered by controlling the fourth set and carried that momentum into the deciding fifth, where the Mustangs pulled away late to close out the match.
The match featured 11 ties and five lead changes, with most of that drama packed into the third and fifth sets. Cal Poly finished with 54 kills on .246 hitting compared to 50 kills on .206 for the Lancers. The Mustangs' 13 service aces, powered by multiple long service runs from Kendall Beshear, proved to be the difference down the stretch.
Emma Fredrick led the Cal Poly attack with 18 kills on .300 hitting to go with 14 digs for her fourth double-double of the season, and added two aces and a block. Breklyn Pulling was highly efficient, posting 12 kills on .588 hitting with six total blocks even while rotating with Charlotte Kelly and Chloe Leluge.
Beshear chipped in 11 kills and a single-game career-high six service aces. Kayla Murdoch joined Beshear in notching a single-game career-high seven block assists, and Alexis Haury set 40 assists to go with 13 digs for her own double-double.
Cal Poly returns to action tomorrow at 4 p.m. in Mott Athletics Center against UC Riverside. The Mustangs will be seeking their eighth consecutive win to start the conference slate while Caroline Walters is poised to become the program's winningest head coach.
