12-6,8-0Big West
UC Riverside
4-15,0-8Big West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Riverside | 17 | 12 | 25 | 21 | 1 |
| Cal Poly | 25 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 3 |
Caroline Walters Becomes Program Career Wins Leader
10/17/2026 6:45:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Head Coach Caroline Walters officially entered the program record books as Cal Poly volleyball's all-time winningest head coach after the Mustangs continued their blazing run through conference play Saturday afternoon, defeating UC Riverside 3-1 (25-17, 25-12, 22-25, 25-21) at Mott Athletics Center.
The Mustangs improved to 12-6 overall and a perfect 8-0 in Big West play, while the Highlanders fell to 4-15, 0-8. With eight straight wins in the bag, Cal Poly is off to its best start in Big West play since 2019, when the team's conference run ended after nine matches. The program has one perfect conference season (16-0) in its history, under now-associate head coach Sam Crosson in 2017.
The Mustangs came out firing, building an early lead in the opening frame behind strong serving and efficient attacking. Cal Poly never trailed in the first set, pulling away late to take a 1-0 match lead. The second set was even more lopsided, as the Mustangs raced out to a commanding advantage and cruised to a 25-12 win, hitting .400 as a team in the frame.
UC Riverside responded with fury in the third set, capitalizing on a Cal Poly offensive dip to steal a 25-22 decision and force a fourth set. The Highlanders hit .343 in the third while the Mustangs managed just .171. Cal Poly, however, regrouped in the fourth, trading points early before pulling away down the stretch to close out the match.
Cal Poly finished the match with 56 kills on .264 hitting, 10 service aces, 52 digs, and nine total blocks. UC Riverside countered with 46 kills on .183 hitting, 38 assists, three aces, 43 digs, and 13 total blocks. The Mustangs' 10 aces proved decisive, as the Highlanders committed eight service errors against just three aces of their own. It was the second consecutive game in which the Mustangs tallied double-digit aces.
Emma Fredrick led the Cal Poly pins yet again with 19 kills on 46 attempts (.239), adding six digs and three block assists. Kendall Beshear chipped in 11 kills on .258 hitting, seven digs, and another three aces. Breklyn Pulling was efficient in the middle with nine kills on 13 swings (.615) and six block assists, while Alexis Haury dished out 41 assists to go with nine digs and two block assists. Elif Hurriyet enjoyed a successful back row effort with 12 digs, and Ella Scott contributed three service aces off the bench.
The match marked the second straight strong outing for Fredrick, who posted 18 kills and 14 digs in Friday's five-set win over California Baptist. Over the two-match weekend, Fredrick totaled 37 kills on .267 hitting with 20 digs and four blocks. Beshear also had an incredibly productive weekend, especially from the service line, notching 22 kills, 13 digs, and a whopping nine aces across the two matches. Pulling, despite limited playing time as she recovers from a lingering injury, was remarkably efficient over the weekend, recording 21 kills on .600 hitting with 12 total blocks.
The win extends Cal Poly's current winning streak to eight matches and keeps the Mustangs unbeaten in conference play for the fourth straight week. Cal Poly returns to action next week with the final iterations of the Blue-Green rivalry as Big West foes. The home-and-home week features a Thursday night ESPNU-broadcast match before the Gauchos are hosted at Mott Athletics Center on Cancer Awareness Night.
